To Live Forever
by LokisonStarchilde
Summary: THIS IS THE SEQUEL TO: A Lesson In Mortality. Loki's pregnant with Tony's baby. But it's far from a bundle of joy, and it hasn't even been born yet. Will this be just another of Loki's monster offspring? And what has become of Victor Von Doom?
1. Dreaming of Fire

For those who might just be tuning in, or just happened upon this story you need to know **THIS IS A SEQUEL. **You **will not** understand what's going on if you don't read the first story.

For those of you who have been following from the beginning…ENJOY!

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 1 - Dreaming of Fire<strong>_

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><p><em>I dreamed I was missing,<em>

_You were so scared,_

_But no one would listen,_

_Cause no one else cared,_

_After my dreaming,_

_I woke with this fear,_

_What am I leaving,_

_When I'm done here?_

_So if you're asking me I want you to know:_

_When my time comes,_

_Forget the wrong that I've done,_

_Help me leave behind some,_

_Reasons to be missed,_

_Don't resent me,_

_And when you're feeling empty_

_Keep me in your memory_

_Leave out all the rest. –Linkin Park, "Leave Out All The Rest"_

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><p>Loki awoke gasping for air. He sat up suddenly, panting, sweat dripping from his chin, hair wet and sticking to his forehead and the back of his neck. He wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered, then tried to calm himself with deep breaths. He blinked a few times. It was still the middle of the night, only a soft glow from the moon outside lit the floor under the window. To Loki's right was Tony, snuggled under the blankets and softly snoring, undisturbed by Loki's fitful sleep. Or fitful not-sleep. Loki watched Tony breathing and his face fell into something of sorrow and adoration. He leaned down and gently kissed Tony's forehead, then threw the blankets off his legs and put his feet upon the carpet. He stepped into the bathroom to throw cold water unto his face then he made his way downstairs and to his favorite spot on the white leather couch. It was darker in the living room than it had been in his bedroom, but he enjoyed it. He couldn't explain these nightmares, but he knew they were linked to the baby…somehow. He had yet to tell anyone of his…condition…and really wasn't sure <em>how<em> to tell anyone. But this was the third week in a row that he'd continually woken in the middle of the night. Visions of his death by the hand of Victor Von Doom, Tony leaving him to bleed, and a girl…a strange girl with fire for hair, plagued his dreams. She does nothing to save him, nothing to stop Tony from walking away, nothing to end Doom, she just watches with her big brown eyes. Loki knew that being a sorcerer as powerful as himself it was safe to assume his nightmares were prophecies, and the flame haired child was his and Tony's. That part he could live with, but the rest? Why would Tony leave him there…like he didn't even see Loki? And how could he be so easily defeated by Doom? He curled into himself and stared off into the darkness, lost in his mind. The sun came slowly peeking over the horizon and through the living room window, casting an orange glow over the side of the couch. Before Loki knew it, Steve came down the stairs, whistling a cheery tune, hair still wet from his morning shower. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and watched Loki for a minute, when Loki neither moved nor looked up, Steve went to sit next to him. Steve shivered involuntarily at the dramatic drop in temperature around Loki, and he spotted bits of frost forming on the edge of the couch, around Loki's bare feet.

"Loki?" he spoke in almost a whisper, leaning over slightly to look at Loki's face. He watched confusion wash over Loki and his eyes flickered around the room for a minute before he finally turned to look at Steve. He didn't speak, but the emotion in his eyes and the dark rings around them told Steve that he wasn't ok. Steve waited till he saw all the ice vanish and the air warmed up a bit, then he placed a gently hand on Loki's shoulder,

"What happened?" he spoke in the same hushed tone, "Did you guys fight again?" It was implied that Steve meant Tony. Loki shook his head slowly and blinked once,

"No…no…" he pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut for a minute, "I…just couldn't sleep." He explained finally. Steve nodded and relaxed a bit,

"You want some breakfast?" he asked. Without even thinking Loki started nodding,

"Yes, I'm starving!" Then his eyes went wide and he looked back at Steve, who was heading for the kitchen,

"Then I'll whip up some pancakes!" he was saying. Loki followed him into the kitchen,

"Oh…um…Steven…" he hesitated. Steve looked at him expectantly. "Could we talk…about something…?" he tried. Steve nodded,

"Of course! Anything. I'm all ears." He leaned on the counter and gave Loki his full attention. Loki swallowed nervously.

"Well…I…um…" he scratched the back of his head then sighed, "I really don't know how to explain this…" he confessed. Steve stayed quiet as Loki gathered his thoughts. "But, we've talked privately before, and I do feel that I can trust you." Steve smiled at him. "And I need advice." He looked up at Steve desperately. Steve went around the kitchen island to sit next to Loki,

"Hey, I'm totally here for you. I'll help in any way I can." He promised, "Just tell me what's going on." Loki sighed again,

"Alright…I'm just gonna say it and then try to explain…" he looked away, a combination of embarrassment and shame crossed his features. Steve was surprised by that, what could have Loki-probably the least shameful guy Steve had ever know- so flustered? Loki cleared his throat, but he wouldn't look at Steve, "I'm pregnant." He said in a rush. Steve almost hadn't heard him, but then he thought he'd misheard, and it took a full five seconds for his brain to register what he _had_ heard. His face scrunched up in blatant confusion,

"What?" he shook his head. Loki's face was beet red and he looked like he might cry from the embarrassment. He swallowed and licked his lips, then actually looked Steve in the eyes,

"I am pregnant." He spoke deliberately and waited for Steve to process that. Steve still looked like he'd just been told a joke that he doesn't understand, like he wanted to laugh but wasn't sure what was funny.

"Uh…ok?" he said with an awkward chuckle, "H…how?" he asked.

"Well…um…" Loki took a deep breath, "See, since I have my powers back, I can shapeshift again…and…a while ago…" he paused like he was trying to figure out what he was going to say, "That day that me and Tony ended up on the news?" Steve nodded so Loki continued, "Well…Tony and I got pretty drunk…and…gosh this is awkward." He mumbled and took another deep breath, "We wanted to try something new…so I changed into a woman…and…" Steve was waving his hands for Loki to stop,

"Ok ok ok, I get it, I got it. And now you're accidently pregnant?" he finished. Loki nodded pitifully. "When did you find out?" Steve asked.

"The day of your wedding." Loki answered. Steve nodded thoughtfully,

"Ok…that was almost four months ago." He stated. Loki just nodded again and he saw Steven's gaze flicker to his belly for only a split second.

"As odd as it seems…" Loki started, "…this has happened to me before." He chuckled nervously. Steve gave him a look,

"What? No, never mind. Don't tell me." He shook his head, "So, I'm gonna assume you haven't told Tony. That's why you're telling me?" Loki nodded once,

"I have not told anyone."

"Then…I don't understand…what do you need my help for?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"I don't know what to do!" he whined desperately. Steve furrowed his brow and shrugged in further confusion,

"What do you mean? You tell Tony. You have the baby. You raise it. There's no other option." He stated firmly. Loki still looked unsure,

"But…what will he say? I mean, what if he doesn't…want it? You know he doesn't like children. He never wanted any." He said. Steve was shaking his head,

"That's irrelevant. Whether he likes it or not, he has one now and he's gonna have to take up the responsibility. He no longer has the choice." Steve's voice was very stern.

"Well…I don't really have to tell him. If he never knows…I could just…" the look on Steve's face shut him up.

"Don't you dare!" Steve growled, "Don't you dare even _suggest_ that in front of me!" He pointed an angry finger at Loki, who shrank away, "You're a lot of things, Loki Laufeyson, but you're **not** a baby killer." Loki looked at the floor, ashamed of even thinking of those thoughts. He sighed and covered his face in his hands,

"I just…I'm so afraid he'll reject her…" he whispered.

"Her?" Steve asked softly, "You already know…?" Loki nodded,

"I have…dreams…of a little girl. She has Tony's eyes…" he smiled fondly.

"Oh wow." Steve said in fascination for a moment, "Look, if I know Tony at all, I can tell you that he is a guy who takes responsibility of his mistakes. Even accidental mistakes. He will **not** abandon you, and he **will** take good care of that baby." He sighed, "You have to understand, Loki, it's not that he doesn't **want **children, it's that…he's afraid he'll be just like his father…not a father at all. And fear has always been Tony's downfall. Instead of facing it and trying to overcome it, he'll just avoid the possibility completely because he doesn't think he's strong enough." Steve explained. Understanding came to Loki's eyes,

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that." He confessed. Steve nodded. "Well he shouldn't worry about such things." Loki chuckled, "I can teach him. It's not that difficult. And he really should give himself more credit, he's stronger than he thinks."

"You'll have to tell him that. He needs the confidence." Steve said with a laugh, then he started bouncing in his seat, "Oh my gosh! LOKI! I'm so excited!" he threw his arms around Loki, "I love babies! Can I be Uncle Steven?" Loki laughed and hugged Steve tightly,

"You make it sound like you're going to eat her!" he laughed against Steve's shoulder, "But of course. Now that you're married to my brother Uncle is a legitimate title." He chuckled. Steve held him at arm's length,

"But you've got to tell Tony. And soon. Before it starts to show." He commanded and gave Loki a soft poke in the belly. Loki blushed,

"Yes yes. I will." He promised. Steve got up,

"Good! Now let me make those pancakes! I'm sure the both of you are starving." He laughed.

"Ugh. You have no idea." Loki laughed.

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><p><em>There was snow everywhere, freefalling from a grey sky, and blinding Thor in flurries. Mjölnir, where was Mjölnir? Why wasn't she in his hand? He felt naked without his faithful companion, and far too vulnerable. He turned in circles, looking for anything, anyone. There, what was it? A girl? He moved toward her and the blizzard blocking his path vanished. A young girl, a child, with fire for hair stood in a small clearing amongst the white scenery. She cocked her head curiously, turning her wide, knowing brown eyes to Thor, and held out her hand. Thor glanced down at it to see that the child was gripping a still beating heart in her tiny palm. What was she doing here? Why did she have that heart in her hand? She then turned to look at the ground and Thor followed her gaze. His heart dropped as he looked upon the crippled body of Loki, a giant hole torn in his chest, he was nothing more than a smear of red across a vast, blinding white palette. <em>

"LOKI!" Thor looked around in stunted horror, only to find that he was sitting up in his bed, "Wha-?" he panted, out of breath. His face twisted in confusion, "Who was that girl?" he asked no one in particular. He ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair and tried to catch his breath. He sat there, blinking rapidly, taking deep breaths till his heart wasn't pounding in his ears. He tossed the sheets and almost ran down the stairs. His eyes flew to every inch and crack of every room till they landed on Loki, who was sitting at the kitchen table, laughing through a mouth full of pancakes at Steve who just spilled maple syrup all over his lap.

"Loki!" Thor breathed out in relief and dropped to his knees in front of his brother. He wrapped his arms around Loki's slighter chest and buried his face in Loki's shirt. Steve completely forgot about the syrup situation as he watched Thor. Both Loki and Steve exchanged startled looks of confusion. Steve shrugged. Loki patted the top of Thor's head,

"Um…there there?" he tried, "What…what is this about?" he asked. Thor rose to his feet,

"I…" he covered his eyes with his hand for a second, "I had the most awful nightmare." He explained. A tingle of interest and fear began in Loki's chest,

"What?" he inquired, "A nightmare?" Thor nodded,

"Yes. I don't understand it. But you were dead." He frowned. Loki jumped out of his seat,

"What else? What more did you see?" he demanded. Thor was taken aback by Loki's reaction, but he answered,

"There…was snow, everywhere, everything was just snow. And…there was a girl. A little girl…"

"With fire for hair." Loki finished, all the color draining from his face. Thor openly stared at him,

"Yes…" he said slowly. Loki looked at the floor for a moment then back at Thor,

"What was she doing?" he asked. Thor's brow pulled down and he narrowed his eyes,

"She…was holding your heart in her hand…as you laid dead in the snow." He said. Loki had no response to that so he just sank back into his seat. Thor watched him carefully,

"Loki…what is going on? You know that girl?" he asked. Loki swallowed.

"I know I won't have to explain the details to you…and it probably won't be much of a surprise…but…" he cleared his throat and looked up at Thor, "I'm pregnant. And I'm quite positive that girl is my daughter. I have been having nightmares as well, and she is in every one."

"Please tell me it's Tony's." was Thor's first question. Loki's mouth fell open in blatant offense to Thor's question,

"Of course!" he defended, looking scorned. Thor let out a breath,

"Then why am_ I_ seeing her in my dreams?" He asked. Loki shook his head slightly,

"I don't know." He said each word slowly, like they weighed heavy on his tongue, "I have no explanation for these visions at all." He confessed. Thor glanced at Steve,

"Who else knows of this?" he asked.

"Just me and you, now." Steve answered. Thor suddenly dropped to his knees again, gripping Loki's shoulders and shaking him rather roughly,

"Loki!" he said in a loud whisper, terror all over his face, "I don't like this! I am not a person to point at others and scream "**EVIL!"**, but there is something _wrong_…" he stopped and clapped his mouth shut like it'd been yanked by a hook. Loki wore a horribly pitiful look, like someone had not only kicked his puppy but stolen his lunch money too.

"You…" his hands wrapped around his belly protectively, "You think my baby is evil?" he asked. Thor couldn't bring himself to answer. Steve got up and came around the table,

"Whoa, hold on there. Nobody's calling anybody evil." He put one hand on each of their shoulders, "Loki said we don't have an explanation for these visions, and for all we know they could nothing to do with Loki _actually_ dying." He said.

"That's true. Such visions are usually metaphorical, not to be taking literally." Loki agreed. Thor sighed,

"So we wait and see." He said as he got to his feet again, "Alright, but if I think for one second that that child is a monster…"

"You'll what!" Loki snapped, jumping to his feet again and getting a hair's breath away from Thor's face, "You'll kill it?" Thor looked at Loki sorrowfully, but didn't answer. Steve stood at the ready, waiting for the claws to come out and the two brothers to start tearing each other to bits. But it never happened, Thor turned and left the kitchen in silence.

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><p>Tony came into the living room fully dressed, sloppily throwing a clip-on tie around his neck. He looked up to see Loki standing in front of him, looking rather nervous, thin fingers fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Tony smiled,<p>

"Mornin'!" he chirped, "What's up?" Loki bit his bottom lip and swallowed,

"Um…well, I have something to tell you." He said.

"Ok." Tony stopped as his phone chimed in rather rudely, he held up a finger to Loki, "Hold that thought, babe." He put the phone to his ear, "Yeah?" Tony was silent for a few minutes and Loki just stared at the floor. Tony let out an agrivated sigh,

"Alright, I'll be right there." He hung the phone up and looked back at Loki, "Hey sorry, Pepper's having a problem with my finances, she needs me to come look at it. Can we talk later?" he asked. Loki nodded,

"Yes, of course." He waved his hand dismissively, "It's not that important…" he mumbled. Tony gave him a quick peck on the cheek,

"Cool. I'll see ya later!" he called from the front door. Loki had the sudden overwhelming urge to crawl into a cave and disappear.

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><p>Clint was taking potshots at pigeons down by the street as he sat upon the roof. He let out an exaggerated sigh, the third one in the last five minutes. Bruce finally opened his eyes to look at Clint,<p>

"What are you huffing about? You've been sitting here interrupting my meditation for the last hour and a half." He grumbled. Clint struck another unsuspecting pigeon with a pebble and pouted his lips.

"I feel like a loser." He whined, rather childishly. Bruce turned his body to face Clint,

"What does that even mean?" he asked.

"Well, I mean, I feel…worthless." He confessed. Bruce became more interested and he gave Clint a sympathetic gaze,

"Why?" he asked in a soft voice. Clint huffed again,

"Well, now with Loki, the God of Pretty Much Everything and Can Do Anything With His Awesome _Ultimate Cosmic Powers_…" Clint made a fist pump while imitating the deep voice, "…and Steve now being an official King and the arbiter between here and Asgard. I don't feel very needed, ya know?" He looked at Bruce. Bruce nodded in understanding, but then shook his head,

"Don't be stupid. You're still an Avenger, you're a member of this family, you'll always be needed." He grinned, "Besides…Hulk likes Cupid." Bruce made a face of looking angry while imitating Hulk's voice. Clint cracked up and hugged Bruce,

"Aww thanks." He said. Bruce hugged him back,

"But seriously Clint, you don't need to feel out-done by Loki. I honestly don't think it's his intentions to replace anyone on this team. He's just trying to fit in somewhere." He explained.

"I know. And I like the guy, really. I just think that, with someone as powerful as him helping out, what good am I gonna be?" the sorrow came back to Clint's voice. Bruce pointed to the several scattered pigeon corpses,

"I don't think even Loki could sniper pigeons, that are almost twenty feet away, with pebbles." He laughed. Clint pursed his lips and rolled his eyes,

"PSSHHH! No, but he could just wink and make them explode!" he countered. Bruce rolled his eyes in return,

"Exploding things isn't always the best solution." He gently slapped the back of Clint's head, "Will you stop with the self-pity? You are not worthless!" he said. Clint still looked a little put out but he smiled,

"Ok. But only cause Hulk has a crush on me and I'd hate to hurt his feelings by leaving." He laughed and jumped off the roof unto the front lawn. Bruce waved his fist playfully,

"Yeah, he's _gonna_ have a crush on you! A crush with his fists! Wait till he sees you next time!" he teased with a laugh. Clint stuck his thumbs in his ears while waving his fingers and sticking his tongue out, just like a child, then he turned and went back inside the house.

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><p>Loki had done nothing but paced back and forth, waiting for Tony to come home. His feet were digging a trench in the carpet with his repeated pacing as he played out the expected conversation over and over in his mind. His anxiety was sky high, his heart continued to pound in his ears, fearful of Tony's reaction. He believed his anxiety was now causing him to hallucinate, either that or his nightmares were visiting him during the day, because he could swear he'd seen the girl, his daughter, standing in the corner of the room watching him. It had only been a glimmer from the corner of his eye, but every time he turned to look, she was gone. And what could that mean? Was this child so powerful already that she was projecting an astral form of herself? Or was this a message from somewhere else? He finally decided that he wouldn't beat the dead horse, so to say, when Tony got home, instead he would just say it and whatever Tony's reaction is will be a bridge to cross when he gets there. Steve came by, the bedroom door had been left open, and stuck his head in,<p>

"Tony's home." He announced in a soft voice, a look of expectation in his eyes. Loki took a deep breath, trying to ease his fears, then stepped past Steve and headed down the stairs. Pepper had come back with Tony and she was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in her hands. Tony was standing in front of her, recounting some story of a time he'd gotten drunk and woke up in a dumpster in L.A. Pepper didn't look amused. Loki moved to stand by Tony's side, facing him,

"Anthony." He said and waited for Tony to finish laughing at his own stupid joke, "I'm pregnant." Tony was still chuckling when he turned to look at Loki and an expression of amused confusion came over him,

"What?" he tried to sound light hearted, but Loki saw the color drain from his face and could hear the gears in Tony's head as he put two and two together. Tony stopped chuckling and regarded Loki carefully. No one said a word for what felt like eternity. Tony was fully facing Loki now,

"Is…is that what you wanted to tell me earlier?" he asked in a hushed tone. Loki just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Tony's hand flew to the side of his face and he looked like he was actually going to faint, Steve even moved to catch him, but he remained standing. Pepper slowly raised her hand like they were in grade school,

"Um…if I may ask…" she looked between Loki and Tony, "What are you talking about? Loki's a man." She said this like she was revealing some great secret that had, until now, eluded everyone else. No one answered her. Both Tony and Loki were staring at their feet. Tony suddenly moved, causing Loki to flinch. He walked past, his shoulder barely brushing Loki's, and out the front door. Loki gasped like he'd just been stabbed in the heart as the door closed. Steve looked horrified, head whiplashing between the front door and Loki, he hadn't expected that at all. Loki slumped to the floor, like a dead weight.

"Oh my god." Steve said and he fell to his knees to hug Loki, "Loki, I'm so sorry! I never expected…" he didn't know what to say, "I'm pretty sure Tony's just in serious shock." He pulled back to look at Loki's face, which held no emotion at all. Steve touched his cheek,

"Hey, come on." He tried to smile, "Remember what I said this morning? He's just scared, and now he's running away, but he'll come back. He just has to sort this out for himself, then he'll come back." He hugged Loki again.

"Yeah…" Loki mumbled, sounding more dead than he looked. Steve mentally winced at the lifeless sound. Steve helped Loki to his feet, then took him upstairs and to his bed. When he returned to the living room he explained the details to Pepper, who agreed to go and try to find Tony, so she left on a mission.

Loki stared at the ceiling for three days. Steve repeatedly had to force him to eat, using the phrase "It's for the baby". On the fourth day when Tony came into that bedroom it took everything in Steve to not tackle him and claw his eyes out. Steve got up from where he sat on the edge of the bed, placed Loki's dinner on the nightstand, then walked up to Tony who stood in the doorway.

"Dick." He spat in Tony's face then shoved past him. Tony only sighed and wiped his face with his hand. He stepped inside and closed the door then went to stand by Loki's bedside.

"Can I explain?" Tony asked in a whisper, not daring to look Loki in the eyes.

"Please do." Loki growled in response. Tony sat down on the edge of the bed and looked Loki over, his eyes lingering on Loki's lower belly, before he looked at Loki's face. It was obvious that the sorcerer had slept at all. Regret contorted Tony's features and he put a gently hand on Loki's forearm. Loki didn't react.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, "I didn't mean to make you think that I was leaving you or something. I…was just…surprised. I had to think things over for myself." He explained.

"Hmph!" Loki snorted in reply. Tony suddenly jumped up, becoming a lot more aggressive,

"Loki! Look at me!" he gestured to himself with both hands, and Loki glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, "I'm fifty years old! I know that's not a lot to you, but here on Earth THAT'S OLD!" He pulled on his hair for a minute before continuing, "I can't be having kids!" he spoke in a harsh whisper now, "I'll have Alzheimer's before it's even sixteen!" his voice broke and he turned away, obviously not wanting Loki to see how much this reality hurt him. Loki sat up, watching Tony for a minute before responding,

"That's what bothers you?" he asked softly. Tony sniffled but didn't turn around,

"How can I be a father like that?" he whispered, voice very strained. Loki got off the bed and went around to look at Tony, he gripped Tony's face in both hands and made him look up,

"Anthony, why didn't you just tell me this?" He chuckled, "That's such a silly thing." His voice was sweet and understanding, "Something so trivial…I can solve that." Tony shook his head,

"You aren't God, Loki. You can't stop time." He mumbled pitifully. Loki chuckled again and Tony looked at him with a suspicious squint,

"Perhaps not. But I can do the next best thing." He grinned and kissed Tony before quickly leaving the room. Tony stood there in stunned confusion.

Loki found Thor in the backyard with the others. Steve had the barbeque grill going and he looked up in excitement when he saw Loki,

"Loki! You're out of bed! Is everything ok?" he asked. Loki nodded enthusiastically,

"Yes. Don't worry about it." He walked past Steve and over to Thor who was setting up the picnic table and chairs. Thor was shirtless, and Loki realized with a giggle that that was probably for Steve's entertainment.

"Brother, I have a favor to ask of you." Loki told him, Thor looked up with interest,

"Of course!" he said. Loki leaned closer to him and spoke quietly,

"I need you to go to Asgard. Find Idunn. She owes me a debt and I'm calling for it to be repaid." He explained. Thor looked a little wary,

"Alright…" his voice held obvious suspicion, "And what is it that I am to retrieve from her?" he asked. Loki cupped his hand over Thor's ear and whispered to him. Thor gave Loki a look,

"Loki…you can't just…" he started but Loki waved a hand and started walking away.

"I can do whatever I want, and besides…" He turned his big puppy dog green eyes to Thor while gently rubbing his belly, "It's for the baby. Please, dear Brother?" Thor snorted,

"Aye. I'll return shortly." He promised as he pulled his shirt on and went to retrieve Mjölnir from his room. Steve looked at him curiously as he was walking by,

"Manipulative little shit…" Thor was mumbling as he went into the house.


	2. SNOW

**Chapter 2 – SNOW**

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><p><em>Don't tell me to stop,<em>

_Tell the rain not to drop,_

_Tell the wind not to blow,_

_Cause I said so, Mmhmm,_

_Tell the sun not to shine,_

_Not to, get up this time no no,_

_Let it flow by the way,_

_But don't leave me where I lay down,_

_Tell me, love isn't true,_

_It's just something that we do,_

_Tell me, everything I'm not but,_

_Please don't tell me to stop. –Madonna "Don't Tell Me"_

* * *

><p>Loki and Tony had been arguing nonstop. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say Tony was arguing while Loki mumbled uninterested replies. Loki only hoped Thor would return soon so that Loki could get Tony to shut up. Loki was lounging comfortably on the couch, one hand holding a small book of poems close to Loki's face, while the other absently rubbed the more obvious bump of his belly. Tony paced back and forth, intermittently mumbling angrily and shouting at the ceiling. Thor had been gone for almost two weeks, which led Loki to believe that Idunn was making him jump hoops for her kicks and giggles. But Thor would do it, and more, just because Loki asked him to. Loki started singing out loud, in an attempt to drown out Tony's bitching.<p>

"Ugh! And I am **not** gonna be a soccer dad!" Tony continued. Loki rolled his eyes, mostly because he had no idea what Tony was talking about. Tony suddenly stopped pacing and watched Loki, "Are you even listening to me?" he asked.

"Mhmm." Loki hummed, not taking his eyes off his book. Tony knelt by the couch and gently removed the book from Loki's thin fingers. Loki's iridescent eyes seemed to bore into Tony's soul, not threatening, just…knowing. Tony shivered involuntarily at how naked he truly felt beneath that viridian gaze, but he didn't falter. They stared at each other for a moment. Tony sighed and it was like some great weight had suddenly been thrown upon his back. And then he faltered. His face cracked, like a dam that was about to give way,

"Loki…" he said softly, but Loki already knew what he was going to say, "I'm scared." Tony finally confessed the truth that had been eating him alive all this time. Loki smiled, warm and comforting,

"There is no reason to be, my love. I have everything under control." He explained. Tony didn't look appeased,

"Why is that not comforting, coming from you?" He chuckled nervously, like a madman on the edge. Loki's frail fingertips touched Tony's face and his eyes seemed to glow more than usual,

"_Speak your fears_." He breathed. Something became unhinged in Tony's mind and he found his thoughts come pouring out, as he truly had no control over his mouth,

"I'm a horrid, selfish, self-centered, alcoholic, old man. If I don't die of liver failure or suicide soon, then I'll be dead of old age not long anyways! And I'm going to Hell! I accept that! But…" tears ran down his face, "…now this. Just another mistake to add to the never-ending list? I don't know **HOW** to be a father! Not even to mention if I **CAN**! I can't even be a proper boyfriend! Or a son…" his voice was choked off as he buried his face in his hands. Loki let him cry for a while, staying silent. Tony finally looked up at him, and he looked just like a child who couldn't find their parents, like his whole world was shattering around him. Loki smiled,

"And this is the part where I tell you everything will be fine? That you're ok? To let all those things go?" his voice was soothing, yet like nails on a chalkboard, at the same time. He shook his head, "No." he whispered, then moved to sit up on the couch and face Tony,

"I can tell you that everything **will** be fine. I promise that. I cannot help you overcome these tragic memories of your father. That is your own battle, sweetheart. But I can be here to comfort you in anyway. I don't want you to forget those things, to let go of all those memories. I hope that someday they will not hurt you anymore, but you can _use_ them…to fuel you, to motivate you." He gently wrapped his spider fingers around Tony's face and touched their foreheads together, "One must _**learn**_ to be a father…there is no…" he searched for the right word, "…blueprints, or schematics…" he chuckled softly at his choice of words, "…to tell you how to do it. Yes, it will be hard, there will be many mountains and landslides to follow, but you'll make it. And I promise that in the end…it will make you a better man." Tony simply stared at him in rapt fascination, soaking in every word. "And then…perhaps…you'll understand your father better." Loki finished by kissing Tony's forehead tenderly. Loki leaned back on the couch to make himself comfortable again. Tony looked at the floor, seeming momentarily lost in all the information Loki gave him.

"But…" Tony turned his brown eyes to Loki again, "I'm still going to die of old age, Loki." As if on cue, thunder sounded over the mansion. They both turned to see the flash of lightening, in broad daylight, in the backyard. Steve came in from the exercise room,

"Either it's going to rain in the middle of the day with no clouds out…or Thor's home." He was grinning. Loki chuckled,

"Have you been lonely, Steven?" He teased. Steve tried to ignore the comment, but his face still went red. Thor stepped into the house, looking in desperate need of a shower, and gave them his cliché grin. Tony got up off the floor and tried to cover up the fact that he'd been crying for last hour or so. Loki also picked himself up off the couch and held his hand out to Thor. Tony watched curiously. Thor took a moment to observe Loki's new figure, then reached out and placed something in Loki's waiting hand.

"I hope it survived the trip." He chuckled before moving to sweep Steve up in a hug. Tony's eyes were wide as he tried to peek at what Loki was now polishing against his shirt. Loki grabbed one of Tony's hands and turned it palm-up, then placed a shining golden apple in his hand. Tony looked at it in wonder for a moment before looking at Loki in confusion. Thor's expression changed to shocked anger,

"Wait!" He stepped forward, "That's not what you told me…!" Loki ignored him and didn't remove his eyes from Tony's.

"This is…" Tony looked down at the sacred fruit again.

"You'll never age again." Loki whispered, "All you have to do…is eat it." He placed his other hand against Tony's cheek, "But I'll never make you do it…" He closed Tony's fingers around the fruit, "…this is all your choice." He stepped back from Tony. Thor was still glaring,

"Loki, you can't just go about giving those to mortals!" He said in an angry whisper, "You told me it was for you!"

"Of course I did." Loki turned to him, "If I'd said otherwise you wouldn't have retrieved it for me." He smiled. Thor's mouth hung open like a fish. "Oh stop looking so surprised! Like I've never lied to you before..." Loki rolled his eyes.

"Wait…" Tony spoke carefully, "You mean…are you going to get in trouble for this?" he asked Loki. Loki waved a hand while making a "psh!" sound with his lips,

"Oh please…like I could do anything to make the universe hate me _more._" He laughed, "It's true that only Odin is supposed to have the right to give Idunn's apples to mortals, but…" he shrugged, "I was never one for following rules." He smiled, "And besides, if you don't want it…Thor can always return it."

Tony seemed to be weighing the apple in his hand. Despite the fact that it looked and felt like true gold, it seemed to hold the same weight as an average apple.

"So…" he spoke while staring at his reflection in the golden skin, "Am I going to be a god now…?" he asked. Loki laughed while Thor snorted indignantly.

"No, darling. One must be _born_ a god. But you will be immortal." Loki stepped over to place his hand on Tony's shoulder, "You're a man of science, think of it this way…" he paused to gather his thoughts then gestured to himself, "Thor and I are the perfect specimens, purely born that way, while you would be the imperfect creation whose existence was made possible by us. You'll have similar traits as us, but you'll never be a purebred." He smirked. Tony gave him a look.

"I hope that wasn't a compliment, cause…it sucked." He smiled and Loki laughed. Tony took a deep breath and held the apple level with his eyes, "Here goes nothing…" he whispered and closed his eyes, as if bracing for something, then took a bite. Loki held his smile and waited for Tony to swallow and open his eyes. Tony looked at him with expectation.

"That's it." Loki gently explained, "That's all you needed. It's done." He took the apple from Tony's hand and took a big bite out of it. Tony looked momentarily horrified, all the second thoughts and regrets flashed in his eyes and Loki saw it. Loki wrapped Tony's hands around the apple again, then placed his hands over Tony's and held the apple against Tony's lips,

"Just eat the rest anyways. Better to not waste it." He teased, but Tony could see that this was a test. Loki's evergreen eyes spoke what his lips didn't; the one thing that had almost tore them both apart, and had actually killed Loki: _"Trust me."_ Tony had sworn to never let that happen again and he tightened his grip on the fruit as he sank his teeth into it again. Loki's face lit up blissfully.

"Oh my god." Loki suddenly said.

"What?" came the chorus of terrified replies.

"If I don't get a hamburger right now I'm going to kill someone." Loki said and started rubbing his stomach hungrily. Tony cracked up,

"Oh yeah, Loki's been craving hamburgers all week. It's all he'll eat." He explained to the others, "And pudding."

"Hamburgers and pudding?" Steve questioned. Tony nodded,

"Yeah, but not just any hamburgers, White Castle hamburgers." He laughed, "So I better go grab my car keys, cause now I have to go buy two dozen of those nasty burgers before my boyfriend turns to eating human flesh." Steve blanched at Tony's joke, but Loki started pretending to chew on Thor's forearm. Thor chuckled in amusement.

"Oh, and Tony?" Loki called. Tony stopped at the front door and turned around to look at Loki with interest, "Don't go jumping in front of any cars or something stupid like that. You're immortal in the sense that you won't age or catch diseases of any kind, but you are not invincible." He explained.

"Psh! Yeah cause I was totally planning on dodging traffic for fun." Tony responded with heavy sarcasm before leaving.

* * *

><p>Word of Loki's condition spread a lot faster than the heroes would have liked. Before they knew it they had flocks of paparazzi eager to put him on the cover of magazines, and scientists equally as eager to study him. Loki refused all invitations and hid in his room. Like a wounded animal he stayed in the dark, hissing at any who came near. The only people he'd allow to visit him in his cave were Steve, who brought his food, and Bruce, who gave him checkups every week. He had no patience for Tony, and even less for Thor. At one point Peter went in to play some videogames with him, but that didn't last longer than an hour or two. Tony became increasingly paranoid and lonely, but never once picked up a bottle of booze, much to the astonishment of everyone else. Clint had even purchased a bottle of new wine and offered Tony a glass, only to have the older man say no. Afterwards everyone had continually asked Tony if he was alright or if he needed a doctor, but he assured them he just couldn't have such bad habits anymore. Bruce had explained what a sonogram was and asked Loki if he wanted one, but Loki had responded by saying he already knew it was a girl and what she would look like, so he didn't care to see it. Thor and Loki's shared nightmares continued, each one depicting Loki's death differently, either by the hands of Doom or the fire-haired child, in various locations but with snow in each one. Loki couldn't figure any of them out, and could admit that he wasn't trying that hard, but what he wouldn't admit was that he was afraid to know what they meant. Tony finally dared to knock on the bedroom door and ask Loki to come out,<p>

"We're having a convention tonight. It would be good for you to come and talk to some fans…and stuff, ya know? All of us are going, and I really don't like the idea of leaving you home alone." He explained. He stood with his ear to the door for several minutes, just as he sighed and was about to walk away the door swung open. His eyebrows went to his hairline with surprise and his mouth dropped as he looked at Loki. Loki scowled at him and gestured to his prominent belly,

"Go ahead. Tell me you want me to come with you." He said sarcastically. Tony couldn't take his eyes off Loki's belly,

"Woah…" he mumbled, "You look like you're gonna explode." Loki glared even harder. Tony smiled at him, "Of course I still want you to come!" he assured. He looked at Loki's belly again. He put his hand out for a second before pulling it back like he'd been burnt, then he looked at Loki with hesitant childish excitement.

"Can I?" he asked with wide eyes. Loki's heart tugged and he couldn't help smiling,

"Yes, of course." He said. Tony suddenly dropped to his knees, placing both hands on either side of Loki's belly and laying his head gently against the round flesh. His eyes were still wide as he waited, listened expectantly, for what Loki wasn't sure, but it was touching to see. Tony started rubbing Loki's belly with one hand and he closed his eyes. Loki sighed and started playing with Tony's scruffy hair.

"You think she'll know me…when she first sees me, I mean?" Tony whispered.

"It's a possibility. But we'll have to wait and see." Loki answered.

"What if she doesn't like me?" Tony continued to whisper. Loki chuckled,

"All children hate their parents at one point or another. She will learn though." He said.

"I hope she likes Black Sabbath." Tony said. Loki laughed, making Tony's head bob against his belly. Tony looked up at him with a grin, "So, you'll come with us tonight? Please?" he asked. Loki relented with a content sigh,

"Yes." He said and Tony hopped to his feet.

"Awesome! I'll let the others know so they'll wait for you, ok?" he called as he ran down the stairs. As much as Loki would have liked to dress regal in his armor, there was no way it would fit him. So he reluctantly wore a loose green tunic and black suede pants with his favorite black boots. He took a large fur coat, just in case he needed to hide himself in it. Steve met him at the top of the stairs. Loki looked at him curiously and Steve held out his arm,

"I thought you might need help getting down the stairs." He explained. Loki snorted in amusement,

"Who said I'm going to **walk** down them?" he replied then suddenly vanished in a spray of green light, only to reappear at the bottom of the steps and look up at Steve with a smirk. Steve laughed and came trotting down the stairs to lead Loki out the door and to the waiting car. Loki continually swatted Steve off,

"I'm fine! I do not need assistance." He grumbled. Steve chuckled,

"Ok. Sorry." He hopped into the passenger seat and the car started moving. Loki's chest filled with regret as soon as he saw the crowds around the convention building; hundreds, thousands, like swarms of ants, everywhere. He suddenly gripped Tony's arm at his side,

"I want to go home." He said quickly, panicked. Tony gently gathered him into a hug,

"Hey now, don't freak out. They're just geeky fans, they won't eat you or anything, I swear." He kissed Loki's cheek, "I'm right here. You'll be fine." He soothed. Loki took a deep breath,

"Ok." He tried to smile, but it was hardly convincing. They drove around the convention arena and were led inside a back door that was strictly for celebrities. A man with a microphone attached to one side of his head and clipboard in his hands greeted them,

"Alright. Do you guys want us to throw up the curtain so you can go out one at a time? Or would you like to take your seats and we'll introduce you while you're seated?" He asked. Tony and Steve both glanced at Loki.

"Let's go with the second option." Steve said and Tony was nodding. The man was staring at Loki now,

"Oh wow…you're really…" was all he mumbled before the glare of Loki's eyes made him look away, "Uh…Ok! Then let's get you guys out there!" he started ushering them onto the stage. Steve sat at the far side with Tony at his left followed by Loki, Thor, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha. Peter was indisposed. Loki was simultaneously blinded and infuriated by the flashes of cameras when they raised the curtain. He groaned in aggravation, earning him a worried glance from Tony. He was then surprised to find that most of the fan's questions were directed at him. He stuttered for a moment but realized he had no idea what had been asked, only that they were all staring at him, waiting for a reply.

"Uh…what?" he blinked, "I mean, can you repeat that?" he corrected himself.

"Are you ever going to be a true member of the Avengers?" came the shout. Loki instinctively looked at Steve. Steve just raised his eyebrows and smiled, then nodded to Loki, telling him that he was on his own here. Loki looked back at the crowd,

"That…has yet to be determined." He answered.

"Can you show us your baby bump?" came an obviously male voice.

"What?" Tony looked out at the crowd with an offended scrunch of his brow.

"No!" Loki replied.

"Then how can we believe you? Are the rumors even true, or is this your idea of a joke?" the same voice accused. Loki suddenly got out of his seat, knocking his chair back. The crowd gasped and even more cameras went off like lightening. All the Avengers wore the same look of shock, eyes wide.

"Are you satisfied?" Loki barked. There was no reply. A stagehand ran out and set Loki's chair up again. Loki sat down and glared at the entire crowd. A small woman raised her hand,

"Now that Thor is king of Asgard…" she looked directly at Thor, "Will you and the Captain be leaving Earth?" she asked. Thor shook his head once,

"No. Earth is Steven's home, I'll never take him from that. My younger brother, Balder, watches over the throne while I am here." He explained stoically. Another woman waved at Loki,

"Do you know what you'll name the baby?" she asked.

"No, it is not traditional among my people to name a child till it actually lives through birth." He replied. An awkward silence filled the area for a minute, and Tony scratched the back of his head.

"How do you plan to give birth?" a different man asked. Tony slammed his hands on the table,

"Can we _not_ get into the details? Leave it alone already!" he snapped. Loki looked at him with a mixture of gratitude and adoration swirling in his eyes. No one asked Loki another question through the remainder of the convention, which Loki was happy for. He'd only come along to appease Tony, and as the minutes ticked by he found that he wanted to leave more and more. They were only on that stage for an hour, but it could have been a century for all the looks of disgust and curiosity that stared at Loki the entire time. When the administrator finally ushered them away, Loki couldn't have been more relieved. Tony grabbed him as soon as they were off stage,

"I am SO sorry!" he said, his eyes were the brightest shades of regret, "I never thought…" Loki smiled softly,

"It's alright. I don't care anymore. Let's just get out of here. I'm starving." He said. Tony nodded happily.

"I guess it's kind of a big deal to the public, huh?" Clint said.

"Well, it's not every day that one of the biggest heroes on Earth gets another man pregnant." Bruce replied like they were talking about the weather. Tony's face went red and Loki didn't respond.

* * *

><p>The next morning Loki found himself at SHIELD HQ. Nick Fury had personally come to pick him up and ask for his help. They now stood in Fury's conference hall, a small squad of agents seated around the table while Nick and Loki went over the plans.<p>

"We're quite positive about this hideout, even if he's not there it should be cleared out. There could be anything helpful there." Nick was explaining. Loki nodded as he looked at the layout map on the table. Loki glanced at the squad of men,

"And you're sure they can do it?" he asked.

"Of course. I wouldn't have chosen them if I didn't." Nick assured. Loki nodded again. Loki straightened up, rubbing his lower back,

"Alright. Listen carefully." He addressed the men, "There are a few crucial things you'll be looking for. First being any and all technology of Dooms'. Any fallen robots would be good. Weapons such as explosives, guns, anything that you know is highly advanced…" he paused to look at one of the men who was raising his hand,

"Sir, how will we know if it's highly advanced?" he asked.

"Trust me. It will be obvious." Loki told him and the boy nodded affirmatively. Loki rested his hands upon his belly and continued, "The second thing to look for is chemicals. If you come across a lab of any kind, try to grab some samples of anything you can. I don't expect you to identify any compounds or chemicals, because we might not even know what they are, just grab them and go." The group nodded at him, "And, of course, keep your eyes open for any hostages or prisoners that might be held there. We really don't know what Doom does in his free time." Loki yawned then looked at Nick, "Anything I'm forgetting?" he asked. Nick thought for a moment,

"Try not to die." He commented.

"Yes," Loki agreed, "If you truly don't think you can handle whatever might be down there then there is no shame in saving your asses. Just get out. We're not here to send anybody to their deaths." One of the men was snickering. Loki turned to him, "Is there something funny?" he barked. The boy tried to stop,

"No! No…uh…Do we call you sir, or ma'am?" he giggled. Loki glared at him,

"Do you really think that's important?" he snapped. The boy stopped and shook his head,

"No sir! Not at all." He answered. Nick was pointing at him,

"You're fired." He said coolly. The boy blanched and looked like he was going cry. Loki held up his hand,

"No. Let him go. I take no offense to his stupidity." Loki sounded far too exhausted to really care. Nick eyed the boy,

"You'd better thank him later. Now all of you get out of here. You know your mission. Good luck!" he waved them away. Loki was rubbing his back again. Nick raised a brow at him and he sighed.

"You need to sit down?" Nick asked. Loki shook his head,

"No, if I do I won't be able to get up." He chuckled. Coulson came in and didn't even spare Loki a glance,

"Sir, am I to go with that squad?" he asked. Nick shook his head,

"No, I've got better things for you to do." He smiled. Loki laughed humorlessly,

"Yes, like cooking and cleaning." He winked at Coulson, who smiled in return,

"That's funny. I'm not the one who's a pregnant housewife at the moment." He retorted.

"Psh! I'm no one's wife. I'm not married." Loki said. Coulson nodded,

"Oh that's right. You're the pregnant whore." He said cheerfully.

"At least I'm not a black man's favorite bitch." Loki replied in an equally cheerful tone. Coulson's humor seemed to shatter and he stepped closer to Loki,

"No, you're a spoiled rich boy's favorite toy. How long do you think it'll be before he's bored and tosses you out like all the rest?" he spat. They glared at each other, noses almost touching. The animosity was palpable in the air around them. Nick watched with his arms crossed over his chest. Loki gasped, suddenly doubling over,

"Ahh!" he cried out. Nick jumped at Coulson,

"What did you do?" he snapped. Coulson stepped back with his hands up,

"I didn't touch him, sir!" he defended. Loki was on his knees, breathing heavily. Nick grabbed his biceps and tried to help him stand but Loki shoved him so hard that he flew into the display screen. Coulson ran to help Nick. Loki moaned in pain again, his whole figure trembling. Realization came to Nick and he shook his head,

"Oh you've got to be kidding me…" he mumbled then pressed his fingers to his earpiece, "I need a medical team at my location NOW!" he shouted into the comm, then went to Loki's side again. He watched Loki for a moment.

"Tony…" Loki panted, obviously trying to hide the pain he was in, "Tony…has to…be here…" Nick nodded and clicked a different button on his comm,

"This is Nick Fury to the Avengers, get to HQ immediately or your resident God of Mischief is having this baby without you." He said. Then the med team came out of the elevator with a stretcher. It wasn't easy at all to get Loki unto the stretcher considering that he now had the combined weight of a six foot tall, fairly muscular man, _and _a pregnant woman. Once they were in the hospital wing the doctors tried to remove Loki's clothes only to have him slap them so hard their fingers broke,

"No! I'll wait for Bruce." He barked, "Not any of you!" They were all too willing to step away from him. Thor arrived with Steve and Bruce. Bruce ran to Loki's side and started running through a checkup, he explained the procedure to Loki in a rushed voice. Loki shook his head,

"No…too much work…" he grit his teeth for a minute as another contraction went through him, "Just give me a blade." He said. Bruce looked at him like he'd grown a third eye,

"Are you nuts! You want to have it cut out, I can do that, but I'm not letting _YOU_ do it!" Bruce said as he pulled on gloves. He quickly cut Loki's pants off while telling the other doctors to prep some painkillers. Loki was gripping the side of the bed so hard that the metal was bending and snapping around his fingers. His eyes were red and his skin began to turn to ice as the strain made it too difficult for him to hold onto his glamour spell.

"Just get it _**OUT!**_" he screamed and the wall above his head cracked.

"Ok…" Bruce mumbled. All the others were in the hall. Tony was pacing frantically, but he was too scared to go into the room. They all froze in shocked terror when Loki started screaming. All the lights flickered and some had shattered, fissure like cracks spread across the walls, and ice covered the floor. Tony had to actually hold onto Thor or he would have fainted unto the floor. Clint started shivering and they could all see their breath in the air.

"Woah…"Clint whispered. Tony was hyperventilating as he slumped onto the floor. Beyond the door was silence now. They all strained to hear something.

"That's not good…" Thor commented. They looked at him,

"What?" Steve whispered. Thor was staring at the door,

"I don't hear a baby crying…" his voice was heavy with fear and anticipation. They all stared at the door, not knowing what to do and hoping for it to be over already. The door finally opened and one of the SHIELD doctors looked at them, her face was whiter than bone but she tried to smile,

"You can come in." she told them in a quiet voice. They glanced at each other for a minute before moving to enter the room. Steve was the one to rush to Loki's side and gasp with joy. Loki was now dressed in new clothes, smiling through his exhaustion, with a bundle in his arms. He was also on a clean bed, the gurney next to him was soaked in blood that dripped unto the floor. Bruce quickly pulled the blue divider curtain around the other bed to hide it from view.

"Everything's fine." he told them. Steve moved out of the way for Tony to come and peer at the baby.

"Aww…" Tony cooed, "She's hideous." He joked and Loki chuckled. Loki sat up and turned to Tony, he held the baby out to him. Tony shook his head and stepped away,

"Nonono…I can't!" he panicked. Loki cocked his head expectantly,

"She is yours to hold, Anthony." He said.

"But…what if I drop her?" he whispered in fear. Loki leveled his gaze with Tony's,

"You won't." he assured in a stern voice then held the baby out further. Tony swallowed and stepped forward. His hands were shaking beyond his control, but he gently placed one under her head, then wrapped the other under the rest of her little body and pulled her close to his chest. He looked down at her like she was bomb about to explode in his arms. She opened her eyes, much to everyone else's surprise, and fixed her little brown orbs on Tony's. Loki leaned over and smiled,

"You asked if she would know who you are…" he nodded to her, "I think that answers you question." Tony made a strangled sound of joy as he burst into tears. He snuggled the little girl closer to his face.

"I'm still kind of worried…" Bruce admitted.

"Why?" Steve inquired. Bruce was looking at the girl,

"She…didn't cry…at all." He looked at Loki, "That's not normal." Loki sighed and gently took the babe from Tony's hands,

"Well," he said as he looked the girl in the eyes, "She's not a normal baby." He stroked her soft head, "She knows she has no need to cry. She is safe, surrounded by her family, she's not afraid. She knows…" he spoke while staring into those little brown eyes that only stared right back. Tony reached out and gently ruffled the orange fuzz atop her head,

"Hey Loki…" he began, "Why does our baby have red hair?" he looked at Loki curiously. Loki hadn't even thought of _why_ the girl had red hair, he realized. He cocked his head at the child,

"Hmm." He thought, "Perhaps it is a residual trait from my mortal self?" he shrugged.

"You mean…because you had red hair when you were mortal…the baby has red hair?" Tony questioned. Loki nodded,

"It's possible." He assured. Tony accepted this with a shrug.

"So…what do we name her?" Tony asked softly. Loki smiled but still didn't take his eyes off the girl,

"What do you want to name her?" he asked. Tony thought for a moment,

"I don't know…" he whispered in defeat, "Isn't there a cool Jotun name we could give her?" he joked.

"Snow." Thor said and they all turned to look at him, "In all those visions we had of her…she was surrounded by snow." Loki regarded Thor for a minute, then nodded once and looked back at the babe,

"Eira*. That is the Jotun word for snow." He said, then looked to Tony for approval. The baby suddenly giggled and they all looked at her in surprise. Tony grinned,

"Eira it is." He said as he wiggled his fingers playfully at her face, "Eira…Stark?" he questioned as he looked back to Loki. Loki scrunched his nose in disapproval.

"Perhaps, if we ever get married. But for now, it's Eira Lokadóttir*. Your name might have power here on Earth…" Loki gave a wicked grin, sharp like a blade, "…but mine has power among the entire universe. Everyone will know who's child she is, and to fear her properly." He cooed to the girl and she seemed to beam at his words. Tony pointed to himself,

"Well, I'm not gonna be _momma_." He said with stubborn defense. They all laughed.

"No." Loki agreed, "But neither will I." he paused to think for a second, "I think Daddy and Father are just fine. She'll learn the truth of her origins when she's older. We have no reason to hide it." He finally said.

"Hey she can all me Tony for all I care. It doesn't matter." Tony smiled.

Loki thanked Nick Fury for his help and asked to be kept updated on the mission, and then they all went back to the mansion. Loki also requested time alone to him and the baby while he got situated and comfortable with the new member. On the second day Loki called everyone into the living room. Standing beside Loki was a beautiful young girl with honey colored hair and mint green eyes. She smiled and waved at all of the Avengers. Her long white dress was obviously Asgardian, so Tony amused Loki had brought her to Earth recently. Loki handed baby Eira over to this unknown girl then turned to address Tony,

"Do you know what a wet nurse is, Tony?" he asked. Tony pursed his lips as he thought about it then shook his head,

"Nope." He confessed. Loki smiled,

"It's what I should have had the entire time I was pregnant here. But oh well." He turned and gestured to the young girl,

"This is Sigyn. She'll be Eira's wet nurse." He turned back to Tony, "That means she'll be her babysitter and caregiver." He regarded Tony carefully as he said the next part, "It also means that she'll be breast feeding Eira." Tony's eyebrows went up just as Loki expected and he started eyeing Sigyn up and down with increasing interest.

"Anthony…" Loki chided and waited for Tony's eyes to come to him again, "Don't make me restrict you from the hot babysitter." Tony looked offended but tried to play it off,

"Pff! Please. I do not have weird fantasies about banging hot babysitters." he clamped his mouth shut when his brain caught up and he realized what he'd just said. He swallowed nervously and Loki smirked at him,

"If I see you putting your hands on her in any way, I'll chop them off." He leaned closer to Tony's face, "And I don't mean your hands…" he whispered. Tony winced and instinctively cupped his testicles in his hands. Loki snickered before turning back to the group,

"Now, this also means that Sigyn will be watching over the baby whenever we're off on a mission or something like that. I expect you all to treat her as part of the family." He gently took the baby back from Sigyn, "She'll also cook and clean if need be." He finished. Steve smiled at the young girl,

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He bowed slightly, "I hope you like it here." She smiled in return,

"I already do!" she said cheerfully. Loki then went into detail of how he wanted his daughter raised and he laid down the law on what would be allowed in Eira's presence. After the god's lecture finished he retired to his cave with Eira and the new babysitter. The next two weeks passed in relative silence. Sigyn was seen going from the kitchen to Loki's room every once in a while, but neither Loki nor Eira were seen. Tony slept in his workshop, whenever he did sleep, as he diligently worked on some of Doom's tech that had been retrieved from the previously successful mission. The Captain became more involved in the infiltration of Doom's lairs and they found more and more of them every day. All with the same result unfortunately, each one had been empty and void of recent activity, but they took what they could get. One day Loki decided to give Tony a lesson on how to feed Eira if he should ever have to;

"Just hold her like that…good." He had Tony holding her against his chest while sitting on the couch, "Now give me your arm…" he gripped Tony's forearm and turned it palm up, "This is how you make sure the milk isn't too hot." He explained as he squeezed the bottle and squirted some of the warm milk unto Tony wrist. Tony nodded like he was taking down notes in his mind. Loki placed the bottle in Tony's hand,

"Now give it to her. Slowly." He instructed. Tony's hand was shaking he was so nervous,

"Ok…" he mumbled and held the bottle over the baby's face. Her hungry little mouth opened and closed like a fish as she searched for her food that she knew she'd be getting soon. She made a whining noise and Tony flinched, involuntarily squeezing the bottle and squirting milk on the baby's face. Her little eyes went wide with surprise for a second before she started crying.

"Oh man!" Tony panicked, "I can't get anything right!" Loki laughed, thoroughly amused by how difficult this was for Tony.

"Well squirting milk in her eyes isn't exactly the right way to go about this." He laughed some more. Tony sighed but then winced.

"Ow." He looked at the crying baby in confusion and watched as her tears would turn to snow as they fell from her face. He also saw the ice that was forming on his hand that was holding her head. "Ow!" he said again, "She's giving me frostbite!" he said surprise. Loki quickly grabbed the girl and started bouncing her gently,

"Shush." He soothed her, then looked at Tony's purple hand and winced, "Get it under some warm water. Quick." He said and Tony rushed into the kitchen. Loki picked up the discarded bottle and put it to the girls' mouth. She began sucking hungrily,

"Now be quiet you." He teased her and kissed her forehead. Tony came back with a hot rag wrapped around his hand. He looked at the floor and saw the little snowflakes that had been Eira's tears,

"Snow…" he said as he knelt down and picked up some of it. It didn't melt or crumble in his hand, like it was perpetually frozen despite the heat around it, "She cries snowflakes…" he said in fascination and showed the little white fluff to Loki. Loki nodded, since he already knew this information, and gently bounced Eira on his shoulder till she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>When they finally found a base that was full of activity all the Avengers were called in. Loki was more than ecstatic to be back in his favorite armor. Leather and metal; his favorite scents.<p>

"Energy readings are off the charts." Nick told them, "Positive readings on robots and humans alike. I'm not sending my men in there." He looked at them all in their uniforms, "This is your forte. Good luck, heroes." His voice held a reserved sadness, like he was watching his children leave his home for the first time on their own. They took the Quinjet to the location in the middle of nowhere Alaska. There was something that looked like a warehouse. They all agreed on the element of stealth instead of just smashing the doors down, so Loki teleported inside and opened the doors for them. They stepped into an empty warehouse hanger and looked around in unified confusion,

"Wait…" Iron Man started scanning the area. He walked further inside and over to a table that had been set in the middle of the empty storage place. There was a little beeping device sitting atop the table. Iron Man held it up,

"This is what's giving off all those energy readings…" he said in continued confusion. Loki's face contorted into terror,

"This is a trick!" he whispered in panic then turned and ran back to the jet. They all followed.

"Well that was a waste." Clint commented.

"We have to get home!" Loki shouted at them.

"Why?" Steve said, "We should report to Nick fir…" he stopped in realization.

"Oh god." Tony began to frantically prep the jet in a hurry to get off the ground. But despite the five engines that propelled them, it wasn't fast enough. Fire engines, ambulances, and SHIELD cars were all gathered around a burning Avengers Mansion. Loki didn't even wait for the jet to land, he jumped out and crashed into the ground then went sprinting into the house. The rest of the team weren't far behind.

"OH GOD!" Clint shouted in horror when they came to the living room. All that remained of the lovely babysitter was splattered in chunks against the wall, dripping into the carpet. Clint vomited despite his best attempt to not do so. Loki continued to run up the stairs and to his room. The door was gone and everything was ablaze.

"No…" he whispered as he dropped to his knees in front of the baby's crib that was now knocked unto it's side. He ran a finger along the inside of the soft bedding, it was coated in ice and there were little bits of snow still on the pillow, ice and snow that didn't melt despite the raging fire that surrounded it. He heard Tony crying in rage behind him and his chest contracted. His hand came up to grip his shirt where his heart would be and he started sobbing,

"He took her…" he cried. "He tricked us, damn it!" Steve was pulling at his hair, silent tears dripping off his chin,

"How did he even know? We haven't told anyone, not the news, not any friends… How did he know about the baby?" he said through confused tears.

"He's a resourceful guy…" Clint replied. Loki rose to his feet and waved his hand in the air, instantly all the fire vanished and the house was silent, save for Tony's agonized cries. Loki stepped over to where Tony sat on the ground, crying into Eira's now scorched baby blanket, he knelt down and gathered Tony's face into his hands.

"_Sleep._" He whispered, and Tony's eyes slid closed and his body slumped into Loki's arms. Loki easily picked the man of iron up and began walking back down the stairs. Firemen and SHIELD agents were there to greet them.

"We'll have to stay at the Helicarrier now." Steve said mournfully as they stood on the curb and watched the smoke rising from their home. Thor watched Loki closely and was surprised by what he saw in those viridian eyes. Unlike the dead, cold blackness that Thor had grown accustomed to, he saw life. Something had awakened in Loki this night, a fire that had long been dead and that Thor had believed would never live again, but now it burned bright. Loki was furious, he was no longer frozen, and he was going to show Victor Von Doom exactly what that meant.

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><p><strong>**some side notes:<strong> EIRA really is an Old Norse word for snow, I looked it up. And I also looked up proper Norse surnames, so Lokadottir is legit. xD

Read and review, pretty please!


	3. Eyes on Fire and Blood for Water

Sorry for my updates taking so long. I'm working on my very first cosplay costume ever, so I'm kinda busy. But I try to write in between going to work and sewing and playing SW:TOR. LOL!

**A note to reader Chloe:** I honestly don't usually like mpreg stories either, and this story originally was not going to be like this. I changed a lot from my original ideas, and I'm pretty proud of the outcome so I'm very excited that you like it. Thank you for reading and the comment! I love hearing from my readers.

ENJOY!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Eyes on Fire and Blood for Water<strong>

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><p><em>There's an edge to the wind,<em>

_Cutting into my skin,_

_And the air's like an icicle,_

_As the night starts to fall,_

_And there's no one around, _

_My ears strain for a sound,_

_As I search through these canyons,_

_So cold and so tall,_

_Armageddon,_

_Oh no,_

_Armageddon,_

_It came too soon. _

_In this city so proud,_

_Full of noises and crowds,_

_This once was a monument,_

_Now it's a grave,_

_And they warned us about,_

_When reason gave out,_

_Now it's too late for miracles,_

_There's nothing to save,_

_Armageddon,_

_Oh no,_

_Armageddon,_

_It came too soon._

– _Planet P Project, "Armageddon"_

* * *

><p>The Avengers made themselves at home on the Helicarrier as much as they could. Tony was in perpetual shock, he did nothing but stare off into the walls, frozen in catatonic heartbreak. Loki tried to make him eat, but he won't even look at Loki let only eat or sleep. Loki went to Thor finally,<p>

"Listen to me." He demanded in a broken voice, heavy with emotional exhaustion, "I'm leaving." This got Thor's attention,

"What?" he barked in an angry whisper. Loki held up a hand to silence him,

"It's obvious that we can't defeat Doom like this. I need more power…" he looked at the floor as his mind wandered for a moment, "…and I'm going to go get it. There are few magics out there that I don't know, and that's because they're forbidden. But I could care less anymore. Tony's dead with heartbreak and fear, and my baby daughter is in the hands of a madman." He looked up at Thor again and Thor saw that fire in his eyes again. Like wildfire it burned, threatening to break its threshold and consume everything in its path. Thor knew he couldn't fight it back, so he nodded in understanding,

"You do what you need to. I'll watch over Tony, I promise." He said with a sad smile and a loving hand placed upon his little brother's shoulder.

"Thank you." Loki responded with no emotion in return then turned on his heel and headed for the elevator to the landing pad.

* * *

><p>Loki had stepped out into the cool night air and ripped a portal open in the fabric of Earth's dimension. At the other side of this portal was a pit of fire. A desert of red rock that stretched on for eternity, pits of flames blazed in scattered spot, lakes of lava bubbled in the cracks of the dry, dead dirt. He climbed a slight hill and stood above the land. The smoke that served for air burned his lungs and choked him, but he ignored it and took a deep breath,<p>

"_**SURTUR!**_" he screamed and listened as his voice echoed off of nothing and reverberated into the distant darkness. A shadow passed over the land and a giant seemed to materialize from the smoke,

"_Liesmith…" _came a deep hiss in the air and the hair upon the back of Loki's neck went up, _"Why have you come here? You are not welcome, little maggot."_ Surtur growled. Loki smiled like he was greeting a long lost friend,

"I come seeking…education." He explained as he began to slowly pace, "I am a God of Fire, but my fire is nothing compared to yours…" he turned to the towering red demon with a stern gaze, "Teach me." He demanded. Surtur seemed to consider this for a moment,

"_No."_ was his final response before he raised his Twilight Sword to smash Loki into the rocks. Loki teleported from the danger,

"Now that is just rude." He commented playfully, "Come now, you didn't even let me do my monologue." He teleported again as the sword came down a second time, "You mean you don't like listening to me talk as much as I do?" he laughed. Surtur stopped when it was obvious that he wasn't going to be able to hit Loki.

"_Then speak, little maggot." _He barked in annoyance. Loki bowed in mock appreciation,

"I need your power, demon. And I demand that you teach me. Please." He made sure to not sound like he was begging, even though he was. Surtur narrowed his eyes at Loki,

"_For what purpose would you use this power, Trickster?" _he asked coolly. Loki poured all his emotion into his eyes and leveled his gaze with Surtur the best he could,

"To save the people that I love." He answered honestly. And Surtur believed him, for he saw a potential in Loki, a greatness that had yet to be released. Much to Loki's surprise Surtur snorted in approval,

"_Very well…" _He turned to the horizon and beckoned for Loki to follow, _"But the journey will be long…and the lesson will be painful…you will suffer…" _he explained with a great sense of foreboding. Loki chuckled as he floated gracefully along Surtur's side,

"So cliché! It's always the same, let's just get it over with." He said. Surtur glanced down at him,

"_Hmph! And I will be hoping that you don't survive the rebirth, little maggot. T'would be a good service to the universe." _He grumbled. Loki laughed humorlessly,

"Get in line, big fella." Surtur's words then quirked his interest, "Wait…rebirth?" he inquired. Surtur nodded,

"_T'will be a death by fire…and a rebirth…the Cycle of The Phoenix…'tis the truest and most powerful fire…" _he explained, _"And will make you truly immortal…death will only bring you back to life…refreshed and renewed…" _ Loki's eyebrows went up with excitement,

"Well…" He purred, "That's worth a look." He grinned. Surtur sent Loki searching across the stars to retrieve ingredients and artifacts that would be required for a cleansing ceremony. Then he made Loki fight his demon minions, a never ending battle, till Loki had run out of all energy and finally collapsed. His armor was still burning in patches upon him. He smelled his own seared flesh as he laid face down on the ground.

"_Good." _Surtur commented from his perch among the mountains, _"You are ready…"_ he rose to his feet. Loki snorted into the dirt and spit out blood,

"'Bout fucking time…" He grumbled and forced himself unto his knees with a painful grunt. He watched Surtur raise an arm to the sky then a shrill caw was heard, reminiscent of Thor's omen thunder. Next Loki saw a great bird, wings of fire that spanned a terrifying length, and it landed upon the dirt in front of him.

"_This…" _Surtur explained, _"…is Sol. She is the last of her kind. She is going to kill you, and honor you with a piece of her heart…her power."_ The bird, the phoenix Sol, looked down at Loki and he could see her pain, feel her loneliness. They were similar in that aspect, outsiders that never knew where to fit in, too different to ever be considered beautiful. He smiled at her, then put his arms out, closing his eyes and tilting his head back, welcoming her…welcoming death…again. He didn't know what he'd expected but he was sure that what happened wasn't what he'd expected. Sol leaned forward and pressed her forehead to Loki's, and the breath was snatched out of him. His body was gone, numb, lost in the abyss somewhere, but his soul _burned. _It was more pain than he'd ever felt, yet no pain at all, like his soul was being shredded by searing claws that were so quick there was no pain. The pain came with the realization that it_ should_ hurt. He saw nothing, but then everything. But what was everything? Then he saw a woman, she was pure light, a white star in the black water. She floated effortless to him, and he realized strangely that he was looking at himself, like a movie. She held both her hands against her heart for a moment then pulled them away and held them out to Loki. He looked at her hands as she opened her fingers and revealed a single flame. It was bright orange and so very alive. She held it out to him and it floated in her palms, suspended before him. He reached out, his finger came within an inch of the little flame, and it turned black. He pulled his hand away in surprise, and looked up to the woman's faceless face, but the lady of light didn't react. He reached for the still black flame, this time with his palm up, and the shining lady dropped it unto his hand. He flinched, but then cradled the baby flame between his own hands. The black flame surged, consuming his arm suddenly, and then all of him before he could react. He was brought back to reality with a gasping breath, like he'd just emerged from the bottom of the sea. He clutched his chest and shivered involuntarily as he tried to even his breathing and push away the pain. Every nerve was alive and screaming. He held out his hand, the one that had touched the flame first, and turned it around like it was something new. He twiddling his fingers experimentally and watched flickers of black flame dance between his digits like it was alive on its own.

"Interesting…" he whispered to himself. He looked up to see Surtur standing a distance away, staring sadly at a pile of ash that was where Sol had been. Loki's brow scrunched in curious confusion.

"_She will live on in you…until she is reborn…"_ Surtur said mournfully. Loki rose to his feet and dusted off.

"Well, then if we are done here. I must be going. I have more trouble to start elsewhere." He smiled, full of chagrin.

"_I know not what your journey is, Laufeyson, but you have proven worthy in my eyes. Not many can survive this trial, but your soul is strong, and your heart is honest…for once. I wish you good luck in saving your loved ones." _Surtur bowed to Loki and Loki returned the gesture,

"You honor me, great Surtur. Thank you for your help." He waved his hand, opening another portal and stepped through. He came to a swamp with a single hutch built atop a hill between three trees that looked like upturned claws. He walked toward the hutch, something tingled in the air around him and he stopped in his tracks then glanced down at his feet. An inch from his toes he saw a crude circle scratched into the sand, a ward, to kill anything that came near. He knew he couldn't break the seal, for it was placed here by his former teacher.

"Come to procreate more Hel-spawn with me?" came a shrill voice from beyond the barrier.

"Not if you were the last corpse in the universe, Angrboda." Loki replied. He heard a cackle, like a crows caw, then a woman materialized from the air in front of him. She stood just on the other side of the barrier. Despite what the rumors spoke of Angrboda, she was beautiful, but she was more bird than woman, and more corpse than bird. She featured a pale face, thin cheeks, narrow nose and a pinched upper lip, framed by sleek black hair and feathers that grew from her hairline. Talons for fingernails and black feathers in patches replaced the hair on her arms. She wore close to no clothing, but that was typical. Loki knew that no heart beat in her chest and if you cut her arm off it wouldn't bleed, she would simply pick the arm up and place it back together. She was a wicked abomination, created from an eternity of forbidden black magic and self-mutilations and experiments. Angrboda's favorite lab rat was herself. Until she met Loki, then it was the beautiful little, sad boy that became her toy, till she twisted him into her own image and eventually got bored of him.

"So what has brought you to my home again, starling?" she chirped cheerfully, using a name that only she held for Loki and that he hadn't heard in a very long time. She cocked her head, turning her ear to the sky, as if voices from above were speaking to her, "Oh…" she purred, "But I know what you want…" she turned from him and started walking away.

"Then you know I don't take no for an answer." Loki responded. She chuckled,

"Of course." She said and Loki felt the tingling of the ward dissipate. He stepped over the circle in the sand and followed her to her hut. "I knew you were coming…I planned ahead…" she cooed, waving her talons for Loki to follow. She brought him to a cauldron that was brewing over a green fire. Loki raised an eyebrow at the pot of bubbling red liquid. Angrboda dipped her fingers in the thick liquid then stuck her fingers in her mouth, sucking hungrily and licking between each digit. She smiled at him,

"Blood." She told him, "It's what you want…my Blood Magic…" Loki nodded once, "Then you will drink…" she gestured to the pot. Loki's face twisted in obvious disgust, "'Tis the blood squeezed from a thousand dragon hearts." She explained as she ladled the blood into a shallow bowl, then she held it out to Loki, "Drink." She ordered. Loki's eyes flickered between her face and the bowl of blood for a minute then he reluctantly took the clay bowl in his hands. She watched eagerly, yellow eyes unblinking. Loki scrunched his nose and frowned at the red liquid. He closed his eyes and quickly poured the warm fluid down his throat. It took every muscle in him to not vomit it back up. He dropped the bowl as he clamped both hands over his mouth and forced his stomach to stop heaving. When he was finally relaxed again he ran the back of his hand over his mouth to wipe away any blood that had escaped his mouth. Angrboda was grinning with uncontainable excitement.

"Good…" she chirped and gestured to the vat again, "More." She told him. Loki looked at her like she'd turned into a newt,

"You must be kidding." He said, and his stomach heaved just looking at the rest of the bubbling blood. She shook her head,

"You will not have the power you seek until you drink all of it." She told him as she sat down upon a tree stump and stared at him expectantly. She was enjoying this too much. Loki groaned, but picked the clay bowl up off the ground and dipped it in the cauldron, filling it again. He took a deep breath then did just as he had before, tossing his head back like he was taking shots of liquor. He'd hoped that the more he drank the easier it would get, but he was wrong, it was the exact opposite. Angrboda laughed her crows' cackle when he finally doubled over, heaving all over the dirt painfully. He moaned and wondered if this stupid witch was just fucking with him. She waved her hand, gesturing for him to continue. He growled at her but filled the bowl again. By the time he'd gotten halfway through the cauldron of blood he could feel what was really going on. There was power in this blood, that was obvious, and it was working its way through him, mixing with his own blood. It was changing him. Into what, he was afraid to know, but he continued to force it down his throat. If this was the sort of thing that Angrboda did to herself in order to be as powerful as she was, then it was no wonder why she was insane. Loki himself wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. It became a vicious cycle, forcefully swallowing only to painfully heave a second later.

"Gosh, after all that time spent as my apprentice I thought you'd have a stronger stomach." Angrboda teased. Loki spat the blood in her face and she giggled. He trembled on his knees, pain from all the heaving wracked his body, sweat dripped off his chin and made his hair stick to his face. Angrboda knelt down in front of him, holding the bowl out.

"This is all you have left." She told him, and her voice was soft, sympathetic even. He took the bowl eagerly and drank it down with blissful relief, thankful to be done with this trial. He didn't vomit, but suddenly his veins were on fire, like searing lava had been poured into them. He gasped in pain. Angrboda was pulling him to his feet. She dragged him through the forest for what felt like forever, each step setting his veins ablaze even more. Finally she stopped walking and shoved him with all her strength. His eyes went wide as he found himself slipping, falling off an edge that he hadn't known was there. Panic instinctively took over and his hands clutched at empty air for a leverage to stop his momentum. Her yellow birds' eyes just watched from above as he plummeted. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for an impact that he knew was inevitable. Then everything was cold…and wet. He touched soft dirt and pushed himself back up. He emerged gasping and realized with surprise that there was a small waterfall to his left. He looked up at the cliff face where Angrboda had been, but she was gone.

"Scared you, didn't I?" she chirped from behind. He whirled around to see her standing upon the water, grinning down at him. He ran a hand through his soaked hair as he treaded water and blinked the startled confusion away. He swam past her and pulled himself onto the river bank with a grunt, wet leather and metal was not fun. He laid upon the dirt and stared at the grey sky, taking deep breaths. Angrboda's head popped into his frame of view and she was cocking her gaze at him again. He sat up and sighed.

"Are we finished?" he asked.

"Perhaps…" she answered, her back now turned to him as she played with bugs in the sand. Loki pulled himself to his feet and dried off with the wave of his hand.

"Quit with your games witch." He barked. She chuckled,

"You're one to talk, _argr._" She giggled and rose to her feet, turning to face him as she chewed on a spider crab that she'd just dug up, "And what if I told you that you have to mate with a cave troll in order to complete this ritual?" she was grinning like a maniac. He snorted,

"I'd say I've already done that." He hissed in her ear as he walked past her. She actually looked offended for a second but followed him anyways.

"Alright, I'll tell you the truth." She cooed, "There's only one thing you must do to seal the ritual and then you'll be able to use Blood Magic…" Loki glanced at her expectantly from the corner of his eye as he headed back toward her hutch. She grinned again, like she was about to jump up and scream "_surprise!"_

"You must drink the pure blood of an Aesir…a child of Bor…" She giggled. And there was the surprise, Loki thought. Loki stopped walking and turned to her,

"And _where_ did you get such blood?" he asked her. She shrugged innocently,

"I have my ways, just as you do." She said. Loki narrowed his eyes at her before continuing to walk up the hillside,

"What happens after I drink this blood?" he asked. She leaned into his ear, running her tongue along the soft cartilage,

"_You'll feel it…_" she hissed, but when Loki turned to look at her she vanished. Black feathers and smoke danced in the wind where she had stood and Loki knew he wouldn't find her back at her hutch. She was gone. And good riddance, he thought. He hated the idea of asking Thor for something so deranged, but he knew he could count on Thor to do it, even though he won't want to. And Thor was a direct descendent of Bor, so his blood would work. Loki opened another portal back to Earth and stepped into the living area of the Helicarrier. His eyes went wide and his shoulders dropped as he looked around. He ran to the window and looked out over Manhattan. It was picturesque of Armageddon. Miles of city reduced to rubble, the sky was a dusky shade of rust, and you could hear the screams of people on the street.

"What in Odin's name…?" he whispered in shock. Suddenly a group of Doombots flew by the window. Loki heard a sound from his left and turned just in time to see a fist of red, white, and blue hit him in the face. He stumbled backward and shook his head in surprise. He looked up to see Steven come at him again, fist raised for a second blow,

"YOU BASTARD!" He screamed and pounded Loki into the ground, "**YOU LEFT US!** YOU LEFT US ALL TO DIE!" he kicked Loki in the ribs then punched his face into the metal floor again. Loki finally got himself together in time to react, he teleported to the other side of the room and threw up his hands,

"Steven, STOP! WAIT!" he said but then sighed when he saw the patriotic shield flying at him. He put his hand out and caught the shield in midair. He threw it up and it stuck into the ceiling with an awful sound of metal shredding metal. Loki blinked and Steve was paralyzed in mid-charge,

"Steve! Will you quit it!" he stepped up to Steve, who glared at him with the force to kill. Loki sighed again, glancing out the window for a minute before looking at Steven, "How long have I been gone?" he asked. Steve snorted like a raging bull,

"FOUR YEARS! Four years, Loki! For four years we've wondered where you went and if you'd ever come back…if you'd ever…come save us…" he trailed off, voice weak, as tears welled in his eyes. Loki stared at him in horror,

"Four…_what_…?" his eyes flickered across the image outside the window, "Doom…he took over." He whispered.

"No." Steve barked. "We'd never let that happen. But he sure is giving it a hell of a fight." Loki looked back at him,

"What happened?" he asked, eyes shining the greenest shades of regret. Steve sighed,

"After Tony…after we all… found out you'd left…we didn't take it well, but Tony couldn't take it at all. He lost it…completely. We had to put him in a hospital! A mental hospital! He's still there now… But the whole thing was all over the news…Doom knew you were gone, and he took advantage of that. Then they came out of the woodworks like termites…everywhere. We had no idea…" his gaze clouded over as he became lost in a distant memory, he came back a minute later and looked at Loki, "He had _millions_ of bots…under the ground. How could he have hid this so well for so long?" Loki had no answered for him.

"And my daughter?" he inquired. Steve shook his head,

"We have no idea. We haven't seen her…" he confessed.

"Thor?" Loki asked. Steve nodded,

"He's still fighting. We've all been fighting nonstop." He explained. Loki released him from the stasis,

"I'm so sorry, Steven. I had no idea I'd be gone for so long. Time passes differently among the different realms. I should have paid better attention…" he pinched the bridge of his nose mournfully.

"It doesn't matter now. Just please tell me you've come back with bigger guns. We need serious power and we need it now." Captain America took the place of Steve Rogers, all business of war. Loki nodded,

"Absolutely. But I need to see Thor first." he said. Steve nodded and pulled his shield out of the ceiling.

"He's down in the city. Come on." He stepped into the elevator and Loki followed. The streets were warzones, pedestrians huddled in makeshift shelters while SHIELD and army men fired away at robots that seemed to never stop coming from the sky. Loki saw the eyes on him as he walked to the front line alongside Captain America.

"Is that Loki?"

"Loki?"

"He's back!"

"Loki's back!"

"Thank the stars!"

Loki wanted to smile at how warmly he was welcomed back, but this all would have never happened if he hadn't left in the first place. Military and SHIELD troops alike did double takes as he and Steve walked passed. Thor was just a few paces past the front line, surrounded by bots, tearing them to shreds with well-placed lightning strikes. Captain threw up his shield and took a defensive stances,

"THOR!" he shouted over the thunder, and the golden haired god turned to look. He actually dropped Mjölnir in shock when his eyes fell upon Loki, his expression became twisted, like he couldn't decide if he should rejoice or be furious. Loki disassembled the assaulting robots with the wave of his hand as he came to face his brother,

"Thor, don't ask questions, I need your blood." He said. Thor still looked torn between emotions and now confusion swirled into the mix,

"My blood?" he asked. Loki nodded. "For what?"

"I said don't ask questions! Please, all the time I've been gone will be in vain if you don't give it to me." Loki begged. Thor complied despite his confusion and he held his bare arm out to Loki, wrist upturned and exposed. A small throwing dagger appeared in Loki's hand and he sliced Thor's wrist with the speed of light, Thor barely winced. Loki gripped Thor's forearm in his hands and pressed the bleeding wrist to his mouth, no time to do anything more decent. Thor hissed in pain as Loki sucked on his wound. Loki had no idea how much he had to drink or how long it would take to become effective so he simply filled his mouth till the hot blood began trickling down his chin, then he threw his head back and swallowed it all at once. He wiped off his mouth and waited. Angrboda said he would feel _"it",_ whatever that meant, so he waited to feel something. In the meantime, Steve was looking at him in horrified disgust and even looked a little green. Loki chuckled,

"Oh don't tell me you're squeamish." He teased. Loki healed Thor's wrist and grinned at him, "Thank you." Thor put his bracer back on,

"And what happens now?" he asked. Loki's cheery demeanor fell,

"I don't know." He admitted. Another wave of bots landed before them. Thor took up Mjölnir but Loki stopped him with a gentle hand,

"Allow me." He said. Thor looked between the Doombots, Mjölnir, and Loki for a moment, but then relented and stepped back. Loki stepped toward the bots as they raised their arms to fire. He arched his hands in the air, closing his eyes, and pulling strength from Sol's heart that rested within him now. He felt another presence take over. The living flame, he didn't control it -nor did it control him- all he did was release it…the rest was a dance. He opened his eyes and watched the black flames move, swirling in the air like an exotic dancer, and then it charged like a stampede. It consumed the group of Doombots in a whirlwind of darkness, the black flames darting among the enemies like a swarm of wasps, tearing them apart with searing talons.

"Black…fire…?" Steve whispered as he watched in awe. Thor had no response. All that remained of the threat was drops of molten metal upon the asphalt that quickly disintegrated into the atmosphere. The raging black flames retreated into Loki's chest like an eel slipping back into its home among the coral.

"Fascinating!" Loki said with excited glee. An immense pressure grabbed him suddenly and he felt the air crushed from his lungs, he fell to his knees. Then the crushing weight was gone and energy like lightening shot threw his veins, every nerve, into every inch and he was overcome by the strangest sense of climax he'd ever felt. It was euphoric and he couldn't stop the loud moan of pleasure that escaped him as he quivered on his knees. That was it, that's what Angrboda had meant, he realized. Thor and Steve were looking at him strangely. He sucked in a shaky breath, his whole body felt like a livewire, but it was_ wonderful_. He grinned, and almost regretted the thought that not even Tony ever made him feel_ this_ good. His smile fell at the thought of his lost lover. He got to his feet and shook off the sensation then turned to face Thor and Captain America.

"Where is Anthony?" he demanded. Steve hopped unto Thor's shoulders and then the three were flying through the city. They came to a magic barrier, the energy signature told Loki that it was Dr. Strange's, and they landed upon the ground to wait for admittance to the other side. A small hole opened and they stepped through.

"Dr. Strange has blocked off this entire section of the city and made it a haven for civilians and injured heroes." Steve explained as they came to a very large iron door. Loki scoffed,

"His taste in décor is atrocious." He shook his head. Steve rolled his eyes. Despite the medieval appearance of the exterior inside it looked like a hospital. Dr. Strange stood in what could be called the lobby, healing various people and directing them to a bedroom or the cafeteria. His head perked up as he sensed a far more powerful presence and he turned around gracefully to grin and bow at Loki.

"Loki!" He greeted him like they were long lost old friends, "How nice to see you again! You look well." Loki snorted at him,

"Yes…well…no thanks to you." He grumbled under his breath then gave the Doctor a plastic smile,

"Where is my lover? Tony Stark? I need to see him." He said and the Doctor's cheery energy faded. He nodded and beckoned for them to follow. They walked down a narrow hall, the only sounds were the rumpling of three capes and the metal jingle of Asgardian chainmail. The Doctor waved his hand and opened a door on the left side at the end of the hall. He stopped just outside the open door then turned to face Loki and gesture inside the room. Loki looked to the door then stepped inside, none of the others followed him. The room was small but quaint; there was a single bed, a television with an Xbox, a low coffee table and loveseat, a bookcase, and a window with an artificial view. Tony was huddled on the loveseat, knees pulled to his chest, staring off at the wall. Loki reached up and pulled off his helmet then set it upon the coffee table before kneeling in front of the couch to look Tony in the eyes. He gently placed his hands atop Tony's knees and waited. Slowly Tony's eyes slid across the room to land on Loki's. Loki smiled at him. Confusion raged in Tony's sad, broken eyes,

"L…Loki…?" his voice was strained, rusty, like he hadn't used it in years and probably hadn't. Loki nodded not taking his eyes off Tony's. Tony stared at him silently for a long while, Loki could see his mind working, trying to decide if it believed Loki was real or not. Loki reached out and gently put his hand against Tony's cheek.

"It's really me. I promise." He whispered. Tony gasped and leaned into Loki's touch, rubbing his cheek against Loki's palm. Tony looked at him, all heartache shining through,

"Where did you go?" he asked, sounding like a child who'd just found their mother after being lost in the supermarket.

"Far away, to get more power." Loki told him. Tears came to Tony's eyes,

"Eira…" he whispered. Loki nodded slowly,

"I know. Don't worry, my love. We'll save her, she's going to be fine." He sounded unconvinced. In all honesty they didn't even know if the girl was alive, but he had to give Tony that reassurance. He gently took Tony's hands and began pulling him to his feet,

"Come on, sweetheart. I need you fighting beside me. You can't stay and rot like this." Loki said. Tony suddenly threw his arms around Loki's shoulders and embraced him. Loki smiled and wrapped his arms around the smaller man, and it felt like coming home. He sighed into Tony's hair and realized, with minor surprise, that he _**was**_ home. Tony groaned and rubbed his forehead,

"Armor…I need my armor." He mumbled. He still looked very lost, like he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not. Steve was nodding,

"Your entire remaining tech is here. I think we have one…and a half…Iron Man suits stored somewhere." He shrugged. Loki looked at him curiously,

"A half?" he inquired. Steve nodded,

"Yeah…there was an accident when we were trying to move his suits from the Helicarrier." He mumbled embarrassedly. Dr. Strange led the four to the weapons vault where all super powered trinkets, armors, and weapons were safely stored. Tony's only remaining suit was in a giant iron box. Tony sighed at it but started punching in the codes to open it. After a minute a loud hissing was heard as air was decompressed and the metal door slid open revealing the shining red and gold. Tony manually prepped the suit, pulling each piece apart, so that he could put it on. Loki came up behind him and helped to remove the entire suit from its protective box. Tony then removed the majority of his clothes and slipped into the armors interior bodysuit, then Loki helped to place the rest of the armor together on Tony's frame. When the helmet was finally clicked into placed all Tony could see on the HUD was a picture of a drained battery.

"Ugh!" he groaned, "You guys never plugged it in to charge!" he clenched his fists in frustration. Thor and Steve shrugged innocently at each other. "Freakin' amateurs!" Tony grumbled as he tried to walk. Without power to move the motorized joints Tony was walking with a ton of dead weight upon his shoulders, he might as well have picked up an elephant and tried to cross a river. He groaned again.

"Here." Loki said as he placed a gently, pale hand upon Tony's chest plate. Tony sucked in a surprised breath when a surge of energy flooded him, lighting up the entire suit and bringing it back to life. The HUD flashed as the suit rebooted and ran through a full systems check.

"Woah!" Tony said as he looked at Loki, "Why didn't tell me you could do that! I'd never need batteries again!" he laughed, sounding like his old self again. Loki smiled. Tony took a deep breath, savoring the smell of his favorite toy, a sense of homeliness filled him and he felt safe in his armor. He then realized how much he'd missed wearing the armor. A familiar voice filled the inside of his suit,

"Hello, Mr. Stark. It's been quite a while. How are you?" JARVIS asked in his soothingly British voice. Tony chuckled warmly as a grin broke his face for the first time in years.

"I'm good, Jarvis. I missed you, buddy." He confessed. JARVIS seemed to smile in return,

"It is good to have you back, sir. From what I'm seeing now…" he paused as he processed all the events that had happened in the last four years, "…the world needs you." He finished, voice sounding heavy with sorrow. Tony nodded,

"Yeah, no kidding." He turned to Steve, "Cap, I think it's time to assemble." He said. Steve suddenly smiled and hugged Tony,

"You have no idea how good it is to hear you again." Steve said, and Tony was taken aback. He smiled inside his helmet and squeezed Steve harder,

"I missed you too, Steve." He said. Thor gave Tony a friendly clap on the shoulder and Tony chuckled. Steve showed Tony to the surveillance room, where he watched over the world to the best of his abilities and directed his superhero troops to wherever they were needed. Steve turned on the broadcasting equipment then went to stand in front of a camera. He cleared his throat,

"America, this is Captain Steve Rogers. I know things have been horrid and you've all lost hope, but I'm here to restore that hope. Two of our greatest warriors have returned to us today; Loki and Iron Man. They're taking up their weapons alongside us again, and we're taking this fight straight to Doom Castle." he looked down at the floor for a second before taking another breath and looking back into the cameras, " This is Captain America, calling out to all heroes and civilians alike, calling out to the Avengers…" he held up his shield, "It's time to assemble. We're taking our home back, and we're ending this war!" He reached out and clicked the camera off. He looked at the others,

"We have to keep hope alive in the people, or we're gonna lose." He explained.

"Where is Nick Fury?" Loki asked. Steve shook his head,

"Fury's underground, doing the best he can with the limited resources that we all have. Maria Hill and myself have taken up military command of SHIELD while Fury tries to create attack plans from his safe location." He sighed, "We've run out of ideas. Every assault ever attempted upon Doom's castle has been thwarted before we even got to the gates." Loki nodded in understanding,

"That will no longer be necessary. I can take Doom and all his damned bots straight to Hel with my bare hands." He clenched his fist in the air between him and Steve, "I want all of you to focus on finding my daughter. Find her, then run." He commanded. Steve didn't argue, nor did he voice his question on what should be done if the girl was found to be dead, he simply nodded. Tony flipped his mask up and regarded Loki with worry,

"What are you going to do?" he spoke in almost a whisper and gripped Loki's shoulders, "You're gonna fight him alone? Loki…" he sighed, "…I can't lose you again." His soft brown eyes were pleading louder than his voice could have ever managed. Loki smiled sweetly,

"You will not, my love. I am more than merely one man. I can fight him." He gave Tony's hand a squeeze, "Everything will be fine." They all returned to the lobby to find it filled with heroes, rallied for the cause. Hawkeye was the first to grin at Loki from atop the Hulk's shoulders and wave at Tony,

"Good to have you guys back!" he hollered, and the group cheered in response. A slight woman with very short brown hair dressed in a SHIELD uniform came to stand in front of Steve,

"Please tell me you have a plan. You **do** know what you're doing, right?" she asked. Steve nodded,

"This might sound bad, but we're all gonna be Loki's cannon fodder." He said, the room grumbled with dissatisfaction, "Listen, listen." Steve waved his hand to get their attention again, "We're gonna have the most important part of this mission; make a clear path for Loki to get to Doom, then find his daughter, and get the fuck out of the way. Is that clear?" Loki stepped forward,

"She will be about four years old now, with bright red hair. Her name is Eira." He told them all. And finally someone said the words that they were too afraid to voice;

"You can't possibly believe she's still alive." Maria Hill commented in a very snarky tone, then she suddenly squeaked in surprise as she was lifted from the ground by an iron hand around her throat. Tony glared at her like he could set her on fire with his eyes,

"_Shut your fucking mouth." _He growled from the back of his throat. Maria scratched at his metal hand as she suffocated. He dropped her and she fell like a ragdoll, gasping and coughing. No one defended her or tried to stop Tony. Loki simply crossed his arms and looked down at her like she was a roach,

"You will do what you're told, mortal. Find our daughter." He said. Hill glared up at him, still holding her throat, but then her eyes went wide as she caught what he'd said. She looked to Tony and then Loki for a minute as she understood what Loki had meant. Curiosity tingled in the back of her mind, but she knew better than to ask for an explanation.

"C'mon guys…" Steve started, "We've been fighting this vicious circle for four years, it's about time that it ended. Just do what Loki says, follow his lead, and we'll be done with all this." He assured. The ever eloquent Johnny Storm stepped forward,

"Seriously? How can we count on one guy to take out Doom when all of us combined couldn't even get into his castle?" he asked. Steve looked at Loki for an answer because he himself wasn't even sure about it all. Loki saw the fear and doubt in all their eyes as they watched him and waited for a response. He sighed,

"I have more power than all of you combined. And then some." He said, "Look, I can't guarantee that I can save the whole world, but I swear to stop Doom." He looked at each of them, "You can count on the fact that I _will_ end him…even if it kills me as well." He finished mournfully, heart heavy with the thought of leaving Tony alone again. He could feel Tony's eyes upon him, but he didn't dare look into them for fear that he would second guess himself. He couldn't fail, not this time, not with all these heroes on the line as well as his daughter. And these heroes are exhausted, physically and emotionally, anyone could see that they won't last much longer. If he failed here…it'd be all over, for all of them. He chuckled to himself suddenly, as he realized the position he was in. He had fought so long, and suffered so terribly, to have a meaning in his life, to have power, to be king. He would have given anything to have an entire world under his control, to have his hand in their fates. And now, in the most ironic way, he did. The fate of this world was now resting on him, and he realized how easily he could turn the tide and join Doom's subjugation. But then he looked at Tony, those soft brown eyes so full of fear yet hopeful, and he watched Loki carefully with his brow pulled down in worry. And then, of course there was Thor, no one was more proud of Loki or more loving despite Loki's flaws. Loki could imagine the heartbreak he'd see on both their faces if he were to defect to the other side. He's done it before, a cunning fox always picks whichever side he thinks will win, but never in a circumstance like this. He knew the fact that the thought had even crossed his mind at all was treachery enough. He reached out and tenderly ran his hand through Tony's hair, not taking his eyes off of Tony's, and for once it felt like Tony was reading his thoughts instead of the other way around. He gripped Loki's hand,

"Loki…" his voice was almost a whisper, "I love you." He said each world carefully, deliberately, in an attempt to convince Loki, and his voice was begging, pleading with Loki not to do what was on his mind. Loki smiled, surprised by Tony's empathy, but he placed a soft kiss upon Tony's forehead, a reassurance that everything would be ok. He turned to everyone else, demeanor becoming aggressive,

"Let's go." He ordered in the voice of a man who'd been raised in war, who'd spent his adolescence bathing in the blood of his enemies, and who knew what suffering was. Instantly the heroes moved, taking to their respective groups and heading out. They only took their vehicles so far, then the rest of the distance to Doom Castle was on foot, for fear that they would be shot from the sky or something. They reached the castle wall with little resistance, much to their astonishment, and Loki was just about to blow the gates down when Doom's voice was heard laughing overhead,

"I've been waiting for you, Loki…" he chuckled and the gates began to swing open, "I've got a surprise for you…a challenge…" They all knew Doom was nowhere near, his voice was coming through sets of speakers hidden amongst the wall. The gates finally opened completely and they all stood peering inside. Doom was still giggling in his amusement.

"Get out here and fight me, coward!" Loki shouted as he stepped through the gates,

"Oh no, I have something far more entertaining in mind…" Doom answered. Loki stopped in his tracks at what he saw before him. There were no Doombots, no militia men, no demon monsters…just a girl. A little girl stood not even six feet from him, watching him with her calculating brown eyes, fiery curls swirling around her face as if the locks of hair were alive. Loki stood frozen, waiting, not sure what to do.

"Eira…?" Tony spoke, stepping forward. Loki stopped him with a hand placed against the red armor, he shook his head at Tony, warning him. Tony looked broken and confused. Something cold hit Loki's nose and he glanced up to see the sky turning black, and snow falling down. He looked back at Eira as her eyes turned red, just like his Jotun eyes, and ice came to life around her. He shook his head sorrowfully, staring into those little eyes,

"No…" he pleaded in a whisper, "Don't…please…" The ground rumbled, then broke, as a giant clawed hand emerged from beneath the stone. A creature of terrifying size pulled itself out of the ground, just behind Eira. It was sleek black with golden eyes, curling horns, and bat-like wings. Loki took a step back in shock at what he was looking at. A dragon. And it was obviously under Eira's control. It was not the biggest dragon he'd ever seen, but terrifying all the same. How, he wondered, how had this child learned to summon such things? He knew for sure that Doom could not perform this sort of magic. That meant one of two things; either Doom had found someone to teach her, or she'd already known how to do this. If it was the latter, then she was easily a hundred times more powerful than Loki himself. The dragon reared its head and roared at them. Eira had yet to even move. Loki's entire plan of attack had just been butchered, and now he stood like a frightened sheep, with no idea what to do but having no intentions of fighting his baby daughter. The dragon lunged, teeth bared, mouth big enough to eat half of them in a single bite. All the while, she stood there, staring at him.

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><p>For anybody who might be curious, I imagined Angrboda being a lot like Morrigan from Dragon Age: Origins, so that's how I pictured I know I'm mixing in a bunch of comicverse stuff in here, but I like it that way. And I don't honestly know that much about Angrboda, or her real role in Loki's life in the comics, so I kinda just made something up.<p>

Reviews, please!


	4. Breaking the Habit

For anyone who is curious or unsure, the name Eira is pronounced like "EYE-rah". Just wanted to clear that up. xD

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Breaking the Habit<strong>

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><p><em>Metaphor for a missing moment,<br>Pull me in, to your perfect circle,_

One womb  
>One shame<br>One resolve

Liberate this will,  
>To release us all,<p>

Gotta cut away, clear away,  
>Snip away and sever this<br>Umbilical residue,  
>Keeping me from killing you. –A Perfect Circle, "Orestes"<p>

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><p>The universe went into slow motion. Loki saw the dragon, coming toward them. He saw Tony, leaping to save him. He saw his hand go out, green eyes locked with giant golden orbs, and he <em>felt<em> the life inside this giant beast, felt the hot coursing blood in its veins, and with the clench of his fist he snuffed it out. His knew found power over blood allowed him this control. The dragon's eyes went wide, it's jaw slackened, a strange choking sound was heard, then the large body toppled unto the frozen stone ground before Loki's feet. There was absolute silence as he lifted his eyes over the dead body and back to where Eira remained standing. His jaw was set like steel.

"Try something like that again…" he spoke, "And I shall do the same to you." It was a bluff, but he had always been an excellent actor. Tiny Jotun eyes stared right back at him. She didn't waver or relent her gaze, and it was in that second that Loki realized the dragon had been a test. Loki continued,

"Do you know who I am?" he asked. Even the air seemed to tense with anticipation as the heroes waited to hear the child speak. It suddenly occurred to Loki that maybe she didn't know how to speak. He wouldn't be surprised at all to know Doom had never taught the child. His concern was cut short as she answered him with a voice like china bells, quiet and fragile,

"You've come to kill the bad man." It was a declaration, not a question. Loki nodded once. He felt a sad tug at his heart as he wondered if this child knew what part he'd taken in her life. The air suddenly began to move, it became dense and opaque, as Eira turned it into fog. Loki looked to his left, to see the surprised look on Tony's face right before he vanished from view. Realization struck him like a dagger to the gut, he gasped,

"Captain!" he called out, "GO!" There was a confused pause then he heard the padded noise of several feet as they ran past him, through the fog, and to the castle. Tony was suddenly close enough to see again and he gripped Loki's arm,

"What's going on?" he asked. Loki looked in the direction of where Eira had been,

"She's helping us." He explained. The sound of jet packs and gun fire alerted them to the arrival of Doombots. Victor wasn't a fool then, he knew the girl was giving them cover. Both men leaped out of their skins when the sudden cry of a little girl was heard and then they both were bolting through the fog, searching for her.

"Shit!" Tony cursed as he was blocked off by four bots landing around him. Loki used his magic senses to _"feel"_ for Eira, knowing she had to be close. He almost ran face first into the stone wall of the castle, he grumbled angrily under his breath as he began feeling his way along the wall. Suddenly his cape was being tugged on roughly. He turned to see bright orange hair and those same little calculating brown eyes.

"Shh." She put a finger to her little pale lips, "Follow." She whispered and continued to pull him along. They came to a small hole in the wall. She stopped and looked up at him. He got unto his knees and peered into the blackness, then looked at her like she was crazy.

"You cannot expect me to fit in there." He said. She laughed, tossing her head back and reminding Loki way too much of himself.

"Perhaps if you take off all this…" she tugged on one of his horns. He glanced up at the gold protruding from his forehead and agreed that she had a point. He quickly stripped down to nothing but his black pants and under shirt. She waved for him to follow then she got unto her knees and went into the dark hole. He sighed and rolled his eyes. He had to get all the way unto his belly, slowly inching through with his elbows. Finally there was light. He crawled out into a large bedroom…_bedchamber_ would be more accurate. Eira pointed at the far wall,

"His throne is right on the other side…" she whispered as if the walls themselves were listening, "He will be sitting there. I know for sure." She looked up at him, a strange sort of excitement in her eyes, like she'd been waiting for this day all her life. Loki nodded in understanding and began to step toward the wall. She grabbed his slender fingers with a tiny grip that was surprisingly strong,

"Please don't die, mommy." She pleaded, little snowflakes falling from her cheeks, "I don't want to be here anymore…" Loki's heart shattered and he dropped to his knees to crush her in his arms as he cried into her fiery curls,

"I'll never leave you again." He swore and kissed her face all over. She giggled softly and twisted her little fingers into his long black hair.

"I can help. I have power too." She told him, a glint of boastful pride in her eyes. He chuckled,

"Yes, I saw that. But I cannot put you in danger like that. Just stay here and let me handle Doom." He said. She reluctantly nodded and released his hair from her tiny grip. He rose to his feet, but then paused and regarded her with curiosity,

"How did you know…?" he asked. She smiled fondly at him and placed her little hands over her heart, as if cradling something tiny against her chest,

"I have had dreams of you. All my life I have known your face. Almost like you've been here the entire time." She explained. Loki smiled and gently stroked her head. He became tense again as he stepped over to the wall. He placed his hands against the cold stone, fingers splayed, and reached out with his magic. He could _"see"_ Doom just on the other side, as Eira had promised. He reached out more, this time with the Blood Magic. The trick, he knew, was getting a hold of Doom's entire body before Doom realized what was happening. He only hoped that Victor's mortality made him numb to the tingle of magic working in his blood. Loki had him, this was it, he could feel Victor's heart as if it were beating in his palm. He closed his grip just ever so slightly…and watched Doom double over, falling out of his throne while gripping at his chest. Loki teleported, beyond the wall, and materialized right in front of Doom, as he was trying to get to his feet. Loki's face twisted into that of a madman, eyes wide, mouth stretched into a grotesque grin of victory, as he loomed over Victor. Doom pulled himself onto his feet and leveled his gaze with the God of Mischief,

"Loki." He purred the name like he was greeting a lover. Loki gaged involuntarily. Just then Steve and the cavalry burst through the throne room doors. Loki saw their looks of surprise that he was standing there, without armor or even shoes, covered in dirt from crawling through the hole in the wall. Loki stared Doom down. A minute later Doom began to pant and Loki could see the sweat running past his eyes underneath the mask.

"What's the matter, Victor? Too hot?" he giggled, "That's because I'm raising the temperature of your blood." Victor's eyes darted around the room in fear, looking for something but not knowing what exactly could save him. "Here…" Loki hissed, "Let me help." He released the black flame housed within him and it began to sear the metal shell from Doom's flesh. Victor began to shout in pain and swat at the darting fire. Steve made a face as the stench of molten metal and burning flesh entered his nose. The heroes ducked in unison as Doom began firing off blasts of bright green energy in a vain attempt to smite the flames.

"Brother…do not torture him, just kill him." Thor spoke quietly from behind Loki. Loki's sick grin pulled into a disappointed frown. A soft battle cry was heard, the quiet voice of a child screaming in rage, right before Victor was impaled by a polearm from behind him. Doom stopped moving instantly and Loki's black flame retreated. Eira stood on the giant throne, tiny fists gripping an iron staff. Almost all of Victor's skin was revealed, the metal that shelled him melted away, and they all watched the blood run out of the corners of his mouth. Loki screamed in a psychotic fury. He threw his hand out, taking hold of every inch of Doom's still warm flesh, and crushed him. The large room was suddenly flooding with the echoing sound of hundreds of bones breaking. Steve winced and covered his face, turning around and walking away from the scene. Thor watched Loki, mouth pulled into a deep, heartbroken frown. Loki continued to scream as he used both his hands to rip Doom's mangled body apart, without even touching him. Hot tears burned their way down his pale cheeks. The unhinged fire that Thor had seen in those emerald eyes years ago finally broke out. Thor couldn't look at him anymore and he turned his gaze to the floor, knowing that Loki's fury had nothing to do with Victor himself. This was something else entirely, something that has been locked up inside Loki's black heart for a very long time. All his pain, all his anger, all his loneliness, all the bitter hatred, and suffering, released upon one evil man who really had had nothing to do with any of it. But what Loki couldn't do to those in his life that _had_ hurt him, he would do to this monster that was now nothing more than a mulched mass of flesh. Loki jumped when a hand was suddenly placed upon his shoulder, his head whiplashed around to see Tony's pleading eyes. He stopped and fell to his knees, crying into his hands, but these were not tears of sorrow or pain, but of relief. Eira came to stand beside him. No one made a sound for what felt like forever. Finally Loki took several deep breaths, wiped his face with the back of his hand, and got back on his feet. He looked at the red mess of muscle and bone that was smeared over the floor. He leaned forward and picked Eira up, then turned on his heel and headed for the door. Steve sighed as the heroes followed Loki out of the castle, relief washing over him. He pressed his finger to his earpiece,

"Nick? This is Steve Rogers. It's over. Doom is dead." He reported. When they got outside Loki collected his armor and put it back on. SHIELD choppers showed up and did a full sweep of the entire castle, shooting anything that moved. Victor von Doom's remains where collected. The heroes returned to New York, announcing their victory, and then they all got to work putting the world back together. Another day at the office, as Tony would say.

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><p>"Do you truly believe it is all over?" Thor asked Loki one day. They were in the living room of the freshly rebuilt Avengers' Mansion. Loki sat upon the couch, Eira standing in front of him as he attempted to brush her hair. She whimpered at every tug of the brush. Thor stood by the window, looking at the city as the sun was rising.<p>

"I don't see why not. I mean, of course there will be other troubles for us to fight, but such is the life of a hero, no?" Loki answered. Thor turned to face him,

"And what of the nightmares…?" he said carefully, glancing at Eira. Loki didn't have to look at him to know what he was talking about. Loki sighed, relenting to give up on the poor child's hair, and he simply braided it all tightly.

"I'm sure whatever those dreams meant has already come to pass." He said to Thor. Thor chuckled,

"You know, sometimes you're a terrible liar, Brother." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. Loki quickly finished the girl's braid then lightly slapped her rear,

"Go find your father." He told her and she ran off. He got up off the couch and faced Thor, "I don't want to worry about this anymore, Thor. I just want to get on with my life. If those dreams still have some meaning, then I shall destroy that bridge when I get there." He said. Thor laughed, nodding,

"Alright." He affectionately punched Loki's shoulder, "You can't blame me for worrying for you, though." Loki smiled,

"Well keep your worrying to yourself. I don't need the stress." He joked, "I'm losing enough hair as it is." Thor laughed out loud.

Eira padded barefoot into Tony's workshop, greeting JARVIS as she pushed open the door. Tony was on the floor, taking a blowtorch to the underside of some new robot he was building for Nick Fury. Eira leaned on her knees and watched him work under the machine for a minute.

"Daddy?" she called, but he couldn't hear a sound. She inched closer to his legs that were sticking out from under the robot and gently tapped his knee with one finger. Tony jumped, smacking his head into the underside of the giant machine,

"AHH! Shit!" he cursed as he shut off the torch and slid out from under the bot. He was rubbing his forehead with one gloved hand. He sighed while pulling off his protective goggles and headphones. He sat up,

"Eira, baby, what are you doing down here? You can't sneak up on me like that." He told her. She tried to look remorseful but there was laughter crinkling the corners of her eyes,

"Mommy told me to find you." She explained. Tony chuckled and ruffled up her fresh braid,

"Well consider me found. Now go on. I gotta finish working, then maybe we can play a game or something, ok?" he pulled his goggles back on.

"There is nothing for me to do. Can I help you?" she asked, excitement lighting up her eyes. Tony frowned,

"No, it's too dangerous. Plus it's not very lady-like to be covered in sweat and motor oil. Why don't you go…read the entire library collection?" he suggested. She let out an exaggerated sigh,

"I already did, Daddy." She told him. He laughed,

"Well…then…I'm sure there are more books in this house that you haven't read yet. Go ask Uncle Steve, maybe he'll read you some poetry from a million years ago." He laughed again as he slid back under the robot.

"He's not a million years old, Daddy." She reminded him.

"Could have fooled me!" Tony called as he turned the torch back on.

Eira sighed again but turned and left the workshop. She retreated to her parents' bedroom in search of something interesting. She stopped and turned to look at a bookcase in the far corner of the room, it was packed full of ancient tomes that she knew belonged to her mother. She grinned mischievously. Father was right, there were some books that she hadn't read yet. She stepped up the bookshelf and yanked out the first book she could. Dust plumed as the book landed on the carpet with a thud. She sneezed then dropped to her knees and shoved the cover open. She frowned down at the yellow pages, the words were not in a language she could understand. She slid the book away rudely and grabbed another. This one looked far more exciting. The cover was all black feathers with gold embroidering and a gold rune on the front that looked like a "V" with its tips hooked inward. She flipped the cover back to see a drawing of a raven with golden eyes. She hummed in interest as she ran her fingers over the birds' face. She was glad to see some writing that she could understand, there were mixtures of Latin, old English, and Jotun. She found that a little odd, but at least she could read it. She read the words out loud as she translated them,

"Realm of Sealing?" she paused, Loki had told her about sealing spells and circles, but not sealing realms. She continued to read the first page which described a place called the Isle of Silence as well as other infinite realms used to seal away unwanted immortals. There was a footnote at the very bottom of the page that caught her eye. It was written in a different hand then the rest of the book, a hand that she recognized as her mother's elegant scrawl. It was just a note to his studies, but there was a word…a name?

"An…gr…bo…da…?" she tried to pronounce that strange name and the words of Latin that followed, "Ego frangere sigillum? Absolvo vos?**" Her little brow scrunched up and she pursed her lips. What the hell was an Angrboda? And why was it sealed? She shrugged and was about to push the book away when the writing began to glow. She stared at the page as the words that she'd just read shined gold and then faded from the page. She gasped and slammed the book shut in fear. A strange laugh echoed through the dark room, it reminded her of a crow cackling. Eira jumped on her feet and whipped around, only to come inches from a pair of glowing yellow birds' eyes. She looked closer to see that these strange eyes did not belong to a bird, but a woman. A pair of thin lips peeled back to reveal fangs and the woman chuckled again,

"Well now…dangerous curiosity must run in the family…" the woman-creature purred and reached out to the child. Eira watched a pale, talon-tipped hand stroke her cheek. She screamed.

* * *

><p>THE DRAMA NEVER ENDS! Sorry for the short length guys, I just wanted to post something before I lost all my readers.<p>

**The Latin that I wrote here, I totally got off Google Translate so if it's not correct I'm sorry. LOL! (I honestly don't even remember what it says :/ )


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